STRONTIA.

BARITA.

Numerical Table of elective Attractions.

POTASS. SODA. Sulfuric acid 1000* Sulfuric acid 903* Sulfuric acid

LIME. Oxalic acid 960

Experiments on Sulphur and its Decomposition; by Mr.
CURAUDAU, Professor of Chemistry applicable to the
Arts, and Member of several learned Societies*,

WHEN bodies we attempt to decompose have experi- Bodies sup-
enced no alteration from the chemical agents, to the action of posed simple,
which they have been subjected, we are obliged to class
them as simple bodies. The idea of simple substances, how-
ever, though there must be such, is but little reconcilable
with the different phenomena of decomposition and re-
composition, which nature is incessantly producing before
our eyes, and I have never considered as simple all that are
generally deemed so. On the contrary I have always thought, None in the
that the substances constituting the mineral kingdom, of mineral king-
whatever kind, are compounds; and that the principles of

Journal de Physique, July, 1808, p. 12. Mr. Davy's decomposition of sulphur by the Voltaic pile is given at p. 321, of our present number.

dom.

which

In which the elementary

matters are

greatly condensed.

they are less so.

which they are composed are the same, as those that enter into the composition of substances, that belong to the vege table and animal kingdoms. But let me not be mistaken. The state in which we are acquainted with certain principles is very far from the great condensation they must experience, before they enter into the composition of the mineral kingdom. Accordingly the compounds of those that result from a union of these principles must differ, in proportion as they recede from the former state, or approach In the vege- the latter. This in fact we observe in the vegetable kingtable kingdom dom. The essential oils, for example, must be considered as compounds, in which the principles are very near the gaseous state; while the elements that constitute the resins and fixed oils are in a state of the greatest condensation, with respect to the kingdom to which they belong. But this greatest condensation of the principles, that form the different compounds of the vegetable kingdom, is far removed from the first degree of condensation of the elements Indestructibi- that constitute the substances of the mineral kingdom. Aclity of mineral cordingly the indestructibility of the latter seems connected with the difficulty of causing principles to retrograde towards a state of less condensation, that have the very opposite tendency

bodies.

This property, swing to the powerful affinity of their principles,

merits considesation.

What I have just said of the different degrees of condensation, in which the principles that constitute all natural bodies exist, I advanced ten years ago in the first paper I had the honour to present to the Institute on the composi tion of alkalis: and I have seen with pleasure, that Mr. Berthollet, in adopting this opinion in his Chemical Statics, has taken it out of the rank of hypotheses.

As to the indestructibility of mineral substances, to which I ascribe the difficulty of causing the principles that constitute them to retrograde toward a state of less condensation, this too is an opinion, which appears to me to merit all the attention of chemists. In fact, what power, except that of the mutual attraction of the principles that compose all the substances of the mineral kingdom, can enable them to resist the eminently dilatable action of caloric? Thus fire, to effect the decomposition of mineral

substances,

substances, must be employed as an auxiliary, and not as

an immediate agent.

The decomposition of sulphur, which constitutes the Decomposition of sulphur, as object of this paper, will furnish an application of the of other bodies, principle I have just laid down. However, before we at proceeded on by induction. tempt the decomposition of a substance, it is requisite, to have some notion of its composition, that may indicate the nature of the experiments to be made. With respect to sulphur for instance, I had observed, that sulphuric acid strongly saturated with nitrous gas gave a blue colour to water acidulated with it. From the appearance of this colour I inferred, that carbon must be one of the component parts of sulphur: and then considering the property this substance has to dissolve in oils, I suspected, that sulphur might be a compound of carbon and hidrogen. These conjectures were very far from a demonstration; but from these I could proceed as data, either to attack the principles themselves, or to combine them with a third principle, which by its union with them would form a compound already known.

Nitrogen, for example, appeared to me well adapted Nitrogen to give rise to the compound I should wish to obtain, if hidrogen and carbon were component parts of sulphur.

with it some

In fact, from a combination of these two principles with should produce nitrogen must not a compound be produced analogous to thing like the the prussic radical? and would not this product, the ele- prussic radical. ments of which are known, indicate those of sulphur?

To verify how far my conjectures were well founded, I Experiment to made the following experiment.

prove this.

Animal charcoal and sul

calcined,

I subjected to calcination in an iron tube four parts of animal charcoal with two parts of sulphate of potash, the phate of potash whole being intimately mixed. I heated this mixture to a cherry red, and having suffered it to cool to three fourths, I threw it into a large quantity of water.

and lixiviated.

When I had filtered the liquor, it was of a green colour, The lixivium inclining to blue according to the light in which it was viewed. It had but a slight smell of hidrosulphuret. Its taste, though different from that of the prussic radical, produced on the palate a sensation resembling that, by which this radical is characterised.

I tried