Page:Experimental researches in chemistry and.djvu/110

1823. boiled, giving off ammoniacal gas, which condensed at the opposite end into a liquid.

Liquid ammonia thus obtained was colourless, transparent, and very fluid. Its refractive power surpassed that of any other of the fluids described, and that also of water itself. From the way in which it was obtained, it was evidently as free from water as ammonia in any state could be. When the chloride of silver is allowed to cool, the ammonia immediately returns to it, combining with it, and producing the original compound. During this action a curious combination of effects takes place: as the chloride absorbs the ammonia, heat is produced, the temperature rising up nearly to lO0°; whilst a few inches off; at the opposite end of the tube, considerable cold is produced by the evaporation of the fluid. When the whole is retained at the temperature of 60°, the ammonia boils till it is dissipated and re-combined. The pressure of the vapour of ammonia is equal to about 6°5 atmospheres at 50°. Its specific gravity was 0.76. Muriatic Acid.—When made from pure muriate of ammonia and sulphuric acid, liquid muriatic acid is obtained colourless, as Sir Humphry Davy had anticipated. Its refractive power is greater than that of nitrous oxide, but less than that of water; it is nearly equal to that of carbonic acid. The pressure of its vapour at the temperature of 50° is equal to about 40 atmospheres.

Chlorine.—The refractive power of fluid chlorine is rather less than that of water. The pressure of its vapour at 60° is nearly equal to 4 atmospheres.

Attempts have been made to obtain hydrogen, oxygen, fluoboracic, fluosilicic, and phosphuretted hydrogen gases in the liquid state; but though all of them have been subjected to great pressure, they have as yet resisted condensation. The difficulty with regard to fluoboric gas consists probably in its affinity for sulphuric acid, which, a Dr. Davy has shown, is so great as to raise the sulphuric acid with it in vapour. The experiments will, however, be continued on these and other gases, in the hope that some of them, at least, will ultimately condense.