Chemistry / [Michael Donovan].

  • Donovan, Michael, -1876
Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Chemistry / [Michael Donovan]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    quires 3 of azote, to form ammoniacal gas: 1 volume of hydrogen requires 1 of chlorine, to form muriatic acid gas: 1 volume of muriatic acid gas requires 1 of ammoniacal gas, to form muriate of ammonia: 2 vo- lumes of oxygen combine with either 1 volume or 4. volumes of chlorine. The compounds of azote and oxygen fall under Gay-Lussac’s general law, in the following manner :—1 volume of oxygen, and 2 vo- lumes of azote, form protoxide of azote; 1 volume of azote, and 1 volume of oxygen, form deutoxide ; 1 volume of oxygen, and 4 volumes of deutoxide of azote, form hyponitrous acid ; 1 volume of azote, and 2 of oxygen, form nitrous acid ; and 1 volume of protox- ide of azote, were it to combine directly with oxygen to produce nitric acid, would require 2 volumes. Dr. Thom- son, in referring to this law, as developed in Gay- Lussac’s memoir, says, ‘In this paper, Gay- Lussac shows that the gases, considered in respect of their volumes, unite with each other in a very simple manner : —1 vo-~ lume of one gas combining with 1 volume, with 2 vo- lumes, or with half a volume, of the other.” * I conceive that Dr. Thomson’s enunciation of the law is more con- veniently applicable to the facts than Gay-Lussac’s, as in the case of the combinations of azote and oxygen. This most important law, which corrects analysis and synthesis, has been extended also to vapours ; and even to the supposed vapours of bodies, which no degree of heat has been hitherto able to convert into the vaporific form ; although it is certain that, combined with other matter, they are capable of existing in the state of ul- timate division. Thus, 2 volumes of carbon vapour combin¢ with 1, or 2, or 4 volumes of hydrogen, to form different varieties of carburetted hydrogen ; and the same quantity of carbon vapour combines with 1 volume of oxygen, to form carbonic oxide ; and with 2 volumes, to form carbonic acid. It may be here necessary to explain more distinctly, what is to be understood by the term carbon vapour ; * First Principles, i. 18.