Page:Experimental researches in chemistry and.djvu/71

56 those with oxygen and the metals sufficiently prove the absence of hydrogen and oxygen. With regard to the proportions of the elements, three grains of the substance gave 5.7 cubic inches of carbonic acid gas, therefore two grains will give 3.8 cubic inches. One hundred cubic inches of carbonic acid gas weigh 46.47 grains, and contain 12.72 grains of carbon; and 3.8 cubic inches will therefore contain 0.483 grain of carbon. The two grains of the substance decomposed by heated lime gave 5.9 grains of chloride of silver, which, according to Dr. Wollaston's scale, equal 1.45 of chlorine; hence the two grains gave—

The loss here is 0.067, which is by no means important, when the small quantity of the substance and the nature of the experiments are considered.

As to the proportion of these two bodies to each other, if we consider chlorine as represented by 33.5 and carbon by 5.7, or with Dr. Wollaston by 44.1 and 7.5, then the 14.5 of chlorine would be equivalent to 0.2466 of carbon. This is the constitution of the fluid or protochloride of carbon; and if we double the 0.2466, the product 0.4932 approaches so near to the experimental result 0.483, that we do not hesitate to regard this compound as consisting of one portion of chlorine and two portions of carbon, or

It is remarkable that another of these compounds should be found so soon after the discovery of the two former chlorides of carbon. Its physical properties and its chemical energies are in every respect analogous to those of the former compounds; and its constitution increases the probability that another chloride of carbon may be found, consisting of two portions of chlorine and one of carbon.

All the endeavours we have yet made to form the chloride of carbon now described, or to convert it into either of the other chlorides, have been unsuccessful. We expected that when decomposed by heat, it would produce the protochloride with