456 
SECOND REPORT-1832. 
is to pass a current of chlorine gas through liquid ammonia. 
The ammonia is decomposed, muriatic acid formed, and nitro¬ 
gen liberated, which may be collected in a receiver. Mr. Em¬ 
mett * has recommended an equally easy and simple process for 
obtaining this gas. It consists in fusing nitrate of ammonia in 
a retort with some fragments of metallic zinc. This metal de¬ 
composes the nitric acid, and nitrogen and ammonia are given 
off. When collected over water, the latter gas is absorbed. 
Mr. Emmett employs a small cylinder of zinc attached to a rod 
passing through the tubulure of a retort, by raising or depress¬ 
ing which into the fused nitrate he can regulate the emission 
of the gas. 
Phosphuretted hydrogen. —Prof. H. Rose has established the 
very interesting fact, that the two kinds of phosphuretted hy¬ 
drogen,—that which inflames spontaneously when brought into 
contact with atmospheric air, and that which does not possess 
this property,—hitherto considered as different compounds, and 
described in our chemical books under the names of proto - and 
/?<?r-phosphuretted hydrogen,—have in reality the same compo¬ 
sition and specific gravity. They both consist of one volume 
phosphorus vapour + three volumes hydrogen condensed into 
two volumes. They are therefore isomeric combinations of the 
%f 
same elements. 
Sulphuric acid absorbs both modifications, and gives both 
off again by heating; but in the wow-inflammable state both 
gases combine with the chloride of titanium, forming a brown 
mass, which water, acid solutions, and solutions of the fixed 
alkalies decompose, always liberating the gas in the non-in¬ 
flammable state. Liquid ammonia decomposes it also, and 
gives off the gas always in the self-inflammable state. The 
same takes place with the compound of phosphuretted hydro¬ 
gen, and some other chlorides f. 
This remarkable fact is analogous to the conversion of the 
phosphoric into the paraphosphoric acid, by boiling its solu¬ 
tion in water, as described by Stromeyer. 
An observation of Serullas confirms these results of Rose: 
he found that water decomposes the compound of hydriodic 
acid and phosphuretted hydrogen, giving off a gas (PH 3 ) which 
does not take fire; while oxide of silver strewed upon it evolves 
a gas which does take fire spontaneously. 
Magnus has directed the attention of chemists to a solid 
compound of phosphorus and hydrogen, similar to that of hy- 
* Royal Institution Journal, i. p. 384. 
f As in that with bichloride of tin = 3 (St-J-2 Cl)+ 2 (P+3 H). The for¬ 
mula for the compound with chloride of titanium = 3 Ti Cl 2 +2 (Cl H + PH 3 ). 
