The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-01-26 00:00:00

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moniacal gas, if i§therefore.ColleeterfO'vei Vine. When collected
in this way, it is a colourless gas quite transparent. lts odour
at once recognises it. It burns with a beautiful blue flame; but
as the hydrogen burns with considerable rapidit y. a considerable
quantity of sulphur is consumed, but by allowing a considerahla
quantity of atmospheric air to be mingled 14'1111 it befare cton-
ousti;m, the whole is burned with a beautiful viutet-coloured
'flame, Hydrogen has a much greater affinity for chlorine
than it has for sulphur, and the cunsr-quence is, that whenever
chlorine is presented to sulphuretted hydrogen the hydrogen'
leaves the sulphur which is then deposited and unites with the,
chlorine. This is a test in the analyzation of sulphu vetted hy-
drogen; and it, is also used to free the air of any of it which
may be present. For this latter purpose it is exceedingly ica-
portant as.sulphuretted hydrogen is highly poisonous, and inaos,
persons have met their death through inhaling it. Sulphuretted
hydrogen can be, recognised in a great variety of ways: It is
soluble in water, and
,we make use, of this solution in the labo.
ratoryfOr the purpose of detecting metallic bodies with which it
forms a number of salts; the sulphur acting upon the petal and
the hydrogen upon its oxygen. Solutions containing lead are
immediately blackened by the addition of a solution or this gas,
so that adulterations of lead indifferent liquids may he readily
detected.. 11. we 'add the solution of the gas to a solution con-
taining corrosive sublimate it is immediately turned black. 'lt
is one of the best tests for quicksilver that we have. If
we add
it to a solutiOn containing arsenic,. the latter is instantly preci-
pitated as a yellow powder,--the orpiment of commerce. Tar-
tar emetic is distinguished by the dark orange-coloineet
tale which sulphuretted hydrogen causes. By Means ol such a
number it characters, sulphuretted•hydrogen is a very easy sub-
stance to distinguish; and *e isave'no difficulty in •defeding is

presence.
The next substance to which it is necessary to direct our at-
tention is one of the mostimportant, considered both in a theo-
reticalas in a practical point of view. It is the substance called
chlorine, which was by its discoverer termed dephlogistictired
"murialic acid. It gut this name ill 'conseqUenee of the ceinai k -
able view which its di,icoverer entertained, that the "muriatic
acid In the preparation. of the chlorine was derived of nlrgis-
ton. Phlogiston plaYkl the part iif hydrogen, and we and *Hai
this idea' of the discoverer of chlorine was correrlt,, awl brat
chlorine was muriatic acid deprived of hydrogen. At a time
when chemistry held the highest rank amongst the 'ElPiiiir.es•
and engaged' by far the greatest part of the scientific or Europe
'in ito study, a period of bril)ittney which has neyee suwe been
eqoallerl, :mil perhaps never *ill, there existed in a rentitie part
of Sweden an apothecary's apprentice, • ilespi.ed he his master
and not thought any [himg of by his countrymen, whose erretni-
. cal studies were made iry stealtftin the ba'cli kitchen of his nos-
is hous-. Th•a Mau studied silently, and in one Orr ,rift ht
forward fonr of the ,mos.t important sulrst.tnces with, which
chemistry, is acquainted, viz: oxygr;n, chlorine, barium, and
mingatiese. Utiencouraged and uninstructed; and 'tinder cir
cuurstances the most unfavourable, Scheele raised himself to
the rank of the first European tutu of science, and is an exam-
ple to those who *ill 'undergo the labour of studying 'science.
l'he name chlorine,wasgiven to this gas by Sir Ilituiphry Davy,
'and it constituted likewise one of the most'brilriant departments
of his triumphs. The original name given to it by Scheele was
abandoned ,nport—the ',announcement Of 'the discovery which
LaYoisier had made of the constitution of this gas, and the
'name of 'oxyniuriati'cgas was given to it. 'lt was iirterwaids
perceived .not to have Any ux}gcn gas in its constituilon, and
chemists now adopt ibe original view of Scheete, changing the
flame phlogiston to that of hydrOkin: It is' only becesSary• to
take any superior oxide which is capat•le of giving off gen,
such as we use for obtaining oxygen, and pour upon it rouria tic
acid, when the' hydrogeh of the touristic acid will Unite with'
the oxygen of the metal to form water, and the chlorine will
unite with the metal, By means of heat the chlorine isilisen-
gaged front the metal, andtibia inedlor experiment. The black
()Woof manganese is generally employed for toe purpose of
. burning, chlorine. This gas is neary two and a half times as
heavy,as atmospheric air. It is collected over warm water or
brine, as cold water rapidly atisorl; it. aid it unites with quick--
silver to form calomel., 'line name chlorine was given' to the
gas by Sir tI. Davy iu ciintreqiitiice of its greenish yellow
lour. As the gas is exceedingly irritating to the lungs when
inhaled, great care should be taken in operating upon this
! gas. Chlorine possesses a remarkable analogy to oxygeri in ti's
power of supporting critribust ion. If a piece of paper is dipped
into oil or turpentine and immersed in chlorine it will be in,
flamed. The affinity of bodies-'forchlo'rine is at' least 'equal ter
their affinity tnr oxygen, and in stone instances much more so,
the bodies burning spontaneously in chlorine where they teciuire
to be ignited to burn in ony.jen gas, If the metal an.iibonY, •
or Dutch leafs be dropped into r'blotine, in a state of minute
divlsjou, they are heated to whiteness, from the energy of their
Combination with the gas.