204 C H E M I 
ammoniac to a fivong fire, tlie fmoking liquor of Boyle 
was produced. Carbonic acid feemed to deftroy the affi¬ 
nities of alkalis for fulphurated hydrogen gas. 
The fixed alkalis alfo, faturated with fulphurated hy¬ 
drogen gas, were found to poffefs the property of abforb- 
ing oxygen when expofed to the atmofphere; the ful¬ 
phur, in combination with the alkali, forming with this 
oxygen a fulphat. The oxygen of the water feemed to 
be attracted in preference to that of the atmofphere. In 
this cafe the hydrogen of the water has a tendency to 
combine with the other portion of the fulphur, and to 
form fulphurated hydrogenated gas. An alkaline ful¬ 
phure diifolved in water contains therefore alkaline ful- 
phure, properly fo called, or the fimple combination of 
fulphur with alkali; 2dly, Sulphat of alkali; and, 3dly, 
Sulphurated hydrogen gas diifolved in the alkaline l'ul- 
phure. It is this fulphurated hydrogen which abforbs 
oxygen from the atmofphere. When expofed to that 
fluid, the hydrogen has a tendency to refume its oxygen, 
and to form water, while the fulphur which had been 
united to the hydrogen remains in combination with the 
alkali. But the water thus formed is decompofed in its 
turn ; and thefe operations go on alternately till every 
particle of the fulphure is converted into a fulphat. 
Journ. de Pbyf 1792, Vol. I. p. 409. 
Berthollet diftinguiffies the combinations of fulphurat¬ 
ed hydrogen with alkaline or earthy bafes by the name 
of bydro-fulpbures. The hydro-fulphures of potalh and 
foda are procured by receiving fulphurated hydrogen gas 
in a folution of thele alkalis in water. The alkali is al¬ 
lowed to abforb an excefs of the gas, which may be af¬ 
terwards diilipated by heat. The hydro fulphures of 
lime and magnefia are prepared in the fame manner. 
When preferved carefully from the air, thefe hydro-ful- 
phures are colourlefs ; but contail with that fluid gives 
them immediately a yellow tinge. In expofing a folution 
of fulphure of potalh to the aition of fulphurated hy¬ 
drogen, Berthollet obferved that a great part of the ful¬ 
phur was precipitated. Water impregnated with fulphu¬ 
rated hydrogen produced alfo tire fame effeft. 
The affinities of the earthy and alkaline bafes for ful¬ 
phurated hydrogen have been but very curforily examin¬ 
ed. Berthollet thinks that barytes has the Itrongeft affi¬ 
nity, alumine little or none. When hydro-fulphure of 
potalh or of ammoniac is mixed with an acid folution of 
lime, magnefia, or barytes, no precipitation takes place, 
either becaufe there is no exchange of bafes, or becaufe 
the refults of the new combinations are all foliible in 
water. The folution of alumine is precipitated, and 
Berthollet propofes this as a convenient method of fepa- 
rating alumine from other earths diifolved in acids. 
In order to determine whether fulphurated hydrogen 
be formed at the moment water is added to a fulphure, 
or whether the action of an acid contributes to its forma¬ 
tion, Berthollet made the following experiment. Dry 
fulphure of potalh was diifolved in alcohol, and fulphat 
of potalh was formed. On mixing the liquor, which 
was of a very deep colour, with diftilled water, it became 
muddy, and depofited a confiderable quantity of fulphur. 
To this liquor, after it had been allowed time to fettle, 
he added muriatic acid ; by which a large quantity of 
fulphurated hydrogen gas was difengaged, and the re¬ 
mainder of the fulphur precipitated. A folution of mu- 
riat of barytes, poured into this liquor, did not difturb 
its tranfparency; a proof that neither the fulphuric nor 
fulphureous acids are formed when a fulphure is decom¬ 
pofed by muriatic acid. From this experiment, Berthol¬ 
let concludes that the fulphurated hydrogen is produced 
from the decompofition of the water furnilhed by the al¬ 
cohol, and that the a&ion of the acid confifts merely in 
giving a gazeous form to the produft, by the caloric 
which it difengages. 
A folution of hydro-fulphure of alkali dilfolves ful¬ 
phur in the cold. If oxygenated muriat of potalh be 
JE . 
S T R Y. 
added to a folution of fulphure of potalh, fulphur will be 
precipitated. Tire fulphurated hydrogen, in this expe¬ 
riment, is deftroyed by the oxygen of the muriatic acid 
and the fulphur precipitated, becaufe the alkali has a 
greater attraftion for the water than for the fulphur. 
The union, therefore, between a fulphure and water is 
produced folely through the intermedium of fulphurated 
hydrogen. To the combination of the hydro-fulphure 
of alkali with fulphur, Berthollet gives the name of by. 
drogenated fulphure. The combination of alkalis, there¬ 
fore with iulphur, according to this nomenclature, are 
either fulphures, bydro-fulpbures, or hydrogenated-fulphures. 
In the diftillation of fulphure of ammoniac, it is only 
the liquor which comes over firlt that is fmoking. Ber¬ 
thollet added fome muriatic acid to equal portions of the 
fmoking and of the unfmoking liquors obtained in this 
diftillation, and of hydro-fulphure of ammoniac; very 
little fulphurated hydrogen was evolved from the fmok¬ 
ing liquor, and only a fmall portion of fulphur depofited. 
The acid difengaged more of the fulphurated hydrogen 
gas, and of fulphur, from the unfmoking liquor. A 
much more confiderable quantity of fulphurated hydro¬ 
gen gas was difengaged by this acid from the hydro-ful¬ 
phure of ammoniac; but this difengagement was unac¬ 
companied by any depofition of fulphur. By mixing 
nearly equal parts of ammoniac with the unfmoking lit 
quor, and with the hydro-fulphure of ammoniac, thefe 
two liquors immediately began to fume, and to referable., 
in their colour and other qualities, the fmoking liquor 
which comes firlt over in diftillation. Berthollet, from 
this experiment, is inclined to afcribe the fmoking qua¬ 
lity of the liquor to the prefence of a portion of uncom¬ 
bined ammoniac. 
Sulphure of ammoniac is capable of difiolvinga con¬ 
fiderable quantity of fulphur in the cold. In the fuming 
ftate, it dilfolves a quantity of fulphure fufficient to fa- 
turate the excefs of ammoniac, and ceafes to be fuming. 
The fulphure of ammoniac, faturated with fulphur, has 
a deep colour and oily conliftence. Sulphurated hydro¬ 
gen does not produce in it a precipitation of fulphur j 
but this fubftance is depofited by the contafit of air, 
which a£ls immediately on the hydrogen. The folution 
of fulphur in fulphure of ammoniac forms, then, accord¬ 
ing to the nomenclature of Berthollet, an hydrogenated 
fulphure of ammoniac. When muriatic acid is added 
to an hydrogenated fulphure of alkali, a fmall quantity 
of fulphurated hydrogen gas is produced; but while the 
greater part of the fulphur is feparated, there is another 
portion of it which combines with the fulphurated hy¬ 
drogen, acquires an oily appearance, and finks to the 
bottom of the veflel in which the experiment is made. 
This combination Berthollet terms Hydrogenated Sul¬ 
phur. It was Scheele who firft obferved the formation 
of this hydrogenated fulphur; but fince his time it has 
not been mentioned by any chemift. 
Hydrogenated fulphur gives out fulphurated hydrogen 
gas when expofed to the adlion of a gentle heat. Contaft 
with air alfo fpeedily difengages this gas. In both thefe 
cafes, the hydrogenated fulphur gradually lofes its flui¬ 
dity, and is at laft: changed into pure fulphur. A fmall 
degree of heat is produced by mixing potalh with hydro¬ 
genated fulphur, and a fmall quantity of fulphurated hy¬ 
drogen difengaged from that portion of the hydrogenated 
fulphur which does not combine with the alkali. The 
remainder combines with the alkali, and forms an hy¬ 
drogenated fulphure of potalli. Sulphurated hydrogen 
gas is not decompofed by oxygen gas in the ordinary 
temperature of the atmofphere. It is the fame when this 
gas is diifolved in water. In the latter cafe, the air at- 
trails it from the water in which it is diifolved ; it is not 
fo with the hydro-fulphures. When pure, thefe fub- 
ftances have no colour, but they receive a yellow tinge 
from the action of air. 
If to a colourlefs hydro»fulphure, fulphuric, muriatic, 
or 
