Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/585

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Violence, after which it became a thick foapy liquor. Part of this was diftilled, and yielded by the retort a yellow tranfparent oil, of a ftrong fmell, and an acrid tafte, and a phlegm of a like acrid tafte : after tbefe there came over a thick brown oil, fweet to the rafte, and fmelling like the oil of wax ; and after this there followed a fubftance, wholly refembiing the butter of wax. At the bottom of the retort there remained a faline matter of a very ftrong fulphureous fmell, reft-mbling alfo the ftink of rotten eggs : this matter being diffolved in water, and diftilled vinegar poured on the folution, the whole became turbid, and, in fine, precipitat- ed a grey powder, which proved true fulphur. Thus was the procefs of nature fairly imitated, and a mi- neral fubftance produced by a mixture of bodies not drawn from that mineral. The author, after this, was defirous to fhorten the operation, dried the remainder of tiie firft mix- ture over an open fire; then putting it into a red-hot cru- cible it flamed, and emitted a fmell wholly rcfembling that of olibanum when burnt; and after that a very penetrating fmell of fulphur iffued from it. The whole being then taken from the fire, part of it was yellow, and part red, but all had the fmell of fulphur very ftrong.

The vitriolic acid is not peculiarly neceftary in the making of fulphur, for the fpirit of alum was found to finiili the pro- cefs in the fame manner.

As it appeared, that in the courfe of this procefs there had been made a tartarum vitriolatum, by the mixture of the oil of tartar with the acid fpirits, Mr. Geoffroy was induced to try whether the common tartar vitriolate would not an- fwer the purpofe, and the event proved, that this fait, mixt with any of the inflamma'ble oils, would yield a burning and true fulphur ; and not only this fait, but many others of a like kind, anfwered the fame purpofe. The fait, pro- duced by mixing oil of tartar and fpirit of fulphur-, colco- thar, or fixed fait of vitriol ; Glauber's fait, which is a com- pofition of the acid of vitriol, fixed by the alkali of fea fait; and burnt alum, which is the vitriolic acid, mixed with a large portion of earth, all made genuine fulphur, on being properly mixed -with the inflammable oils. Another way of making this mineral is thus.

Mix together one ounce of the fait of colcothar with two drachms of fait of tartar ; melt them together over a fierce fire, and as they begin to fufe, throw in, at feveral times, an ounce of rectified fpirit of wine. When the whole ceafes to fume, it will yield a very penetrating fmell of fulphur ; take it from the fire, and the flame will appear bluifti. When it is cold, the matter will appear yellow in fome places, and red in others, as in the former procefles, and will fmell very ftrongly of fulphur, or of rotten eggs. Make a lixivium of this matter, and pour diftilled vinegar into it, and a true inflammable fulphur will be produced, in form of a precipitate, at the bottom of the veffel. The fait of tartar, in this mixture, ferves only to affift the fufion of the colcothar, and to render the mixture of the fpirit with it more exact; but it appears very wonderful, that fo volatile a fulphur, as that of fpirit of wine, fhould be able at once to unite and fix itfelf in mixture with a fixed fait in fufion. Nor is fpirit of wine any more effential in this procefs, than any peculiar acid in the former, fince petroleum* oil of amber, oil of turpentine, or any of the ietid oils of animals, in the fame manner produce fulphur with thefe falts. Nay, any inflammable matter mixt with tbefe falts, whether charcoal, common pit coal, or whatever elfe of the fame kind, will produce fulphur in the fame man- ner, though in different proportions.

Decrepitated fea fait and fixt nitre were tried in the man- ner of the former falts, but they would not yield any fulphur on a like procefs. Thefe feveral experiments all join in prov- ing the truth of Mr. Homberg's obfervation, that fulphur is compofed in the earth by a mixture of an acid fpirit, a bitu- minous oil, and an alkaline earth ; and do great honour to that elaborate analyfis by which he difcovered it. Mr. Geoffroy, though he carried the art of making artificial fulphur to thefe great lengths, is not however the firft author who attempted it, Mr. Boyle and Glauber both did it be- fore him, but on different plana ; Mr. Boyle by a mixture of oil of vitriol and oil of turpentine, and Glauber by a mixture of his own fait and powder of charcoal ; but though both fucceeded in fome degree, neither procefs could be com- pared with thefe, nor the fulphur be made near fo pure. Mem. Acad. Par. 1704.

StahPs method of producing julphur is very eafy, and is thus performed. Mix with tartar vitriolate, in order to facilitate the melting of that refractory fait, an equal quantity of pot- afli, and add to this an eighth part of foft powdered char- coal ; put this mixture, at feveral times, into a red-hot cru- cible, and cover it with a tile, left a great quantity of the phlogifton mould be diflipated by the fire; the mixture will foon melt, and there will be produced a true bepar fulphur h, or liver of fulphur. When this is diffolved in cold water* true lacfulphurh may be precipitated from it ; and this may be fubiimed into true and perfe6t flower of brimftone. Ga- mer's Art of Affaying, p. 390.

The purefl gold, when melted with common fulphur, re- mains perfectly the fame as before ; it lets the fulphur burn

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freely away, remaining itfelf entire, and m a mafs, Silvery when it begms to grow red-hot in a crucible, melts imme- diately on addtng common fulphur; and when obured out* it proves a mafs that cuts very eafily, is very malleable, and is of the colour and confiftence of lead : this mafs, how- ever, being a fecond time expofed to a very ftrong fire for a confiderable time, is freed from Itsfulphv.r, which becomes diflipated, and the filver germinates into a kind of woolly fubftance, if the fire be flackened toward the end of the ope- ration.

Tin, granulated and ftratified with an equal, or double quantity of fulphur, deflagrates in the fire as if nitre had been added, and leaves the fluid, which becomes folid and confiftent while it is yet red in the fire ; whence it is plain, that the fufion of tin is retarded by fulphur. The remain- ing regulus is very brittle under the hammer, much like a femi-metal, and is of the colour of lead ; hut the part of the tin, thus turned into fcoria?, looks like aihes and duft upon the furface, but is darker coloured, and cleaner within. The whole quantity of the tin will be converted into thefe fcoria?, by repeating the burning with frefh quantities of brimftone.

Lead melted with brimftone, after the deflagration, is re- duced to a mafs which is hardly fufible by a great fire, but forms a friable mafs, confifting of very bright and glittering particles.

Copper ftratified with fulphur melts immediately in the fire* and turns to a black brittle mafs. The fame thing alfo hap- pens, if fulphur be put upon copper when red-hot. Iron being taken red-hot out of the fire, and rubbed with fulphur + melts into a fpungy drofs; it afterwards quits this fulphur with difficulty, but melts very eafily with it. There is no metal, or femi-metal, that feems fo nearly allied to iron, as fulphur, or that melts fo eafily, and remains fo intimately mixed with it. Regulus of antimony being well powdered, and mixed with fulphur, and ftirred with an iron while iri fufion, returns into crude antimony again. The fufion of crude antimony is alfo greatly promoted and aflifted by com- mon fulphur; but it does not mix fo readily with the ful- phur as the regulus.

Bifmuth melted with common fulphur runs into a mafs re- fembling antimony, of a faint grey colour, confifting of mi- nute and very bright needles, each cutting the others acrofs : this mafs is extremely brittle.

Zink melted with fulphur does not readily mix with it, but if it be kept a long time in a moderate fire, and fulphur be many times poured over it, fo as to cover the whole furfacej and it be continually ftirred together, it at laft produces a very brittle dark-coloured fhining fubftance. From thefe experiments with fulphur on the metals it ap- pears, 1. that iron being very greedy of fulphur, all the other metals, and femi-metals, may be freed from fulphur, by add- ing iron to them. 2. That a very fmail quantity of iron, a greater quantity of copper, and a much larger of lead,, or tin, are neceftary to abforb the fame proportion of fulphur, Cramer's Art of Affaying, p. 43,

Dr. Lifter has given it as his opinion, that there is no fuch thing as pure mineral fulphur found native, or in its original ftate, in the earth. He fuppofes all the pyrites to contain a vaft quantity of fitlphur, as indeed experience proves ; and is of opinion, that as we by art can, by means of fire, melt and feparate pure fulphur from the pyrites, fo nature, act- ing by fubterranean fires, can do, and frequently does the fame ; and that the fulphur, found pure about the burning mountains, and in mines, is all of this kind. He fuppofes, alfo, that thunder, lightning, and earthquakes are all owing to this matter; and that it is owing to the exhalations of the pyrites, which are in effect the pyrites itfelf. Philofi Tranf. N a 156.

It is evident, from numerous experiments, that vitriol and fulphur are things very nearly allied to one another. The vitriolate fait, in common fulphur, differs fcarce at all from common vitriol, and the acid liquors obtained from both, under the different names of fpirit of fulphur, and oil of vi- triol, are the fame, except in degree of ftrength. The effects of thefe two acids in the body, and alfo on metals* &c. are exactly the fame. It is obferved, that the fulphur yields but a very fmall quantity of this acid, in com- parifon of the vitriol; but the reafon of this is, that in the operation the rapid motion of the flame fublimes the far greater part of the fubftance, unfeparated in the form of flowers.

There are ways however of remedying this, and by fome: fuch means it was that the famous Drebbel obtained, at the rate of eight, and fometimes ten ounces of fpirit, from a pound of fulphur ; whereas, in the common procefs, one ounce is a confiderable quantity to obtain. Poffibly the grand fecret, Mr. Ward poileffes at prefent, of making oil of vitriol, as he calls it, cheaper than others* may depend on this fort of contrivance. The vefiels be ufes are vaftfpheres of glafs, of three feet in dametcr, which muft ferve as well, at leaft, if not much better, than bells ; and oil of fulphur^ and oil of vitriol, are fo much the fame, that there is no deceit in felling the one for the. other.

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