1000000030

Sul,lhur is .bfnlutc1yinfoloble in water, and incapable

contr.r~lJor,

any Cor t of union with it. It melts with

very mo,leratc drg,ce of hM, ao,1 Cublimcs io fine

light do\\'ny tuCtS c.,lIcd

I"~,m

fu/ph ur.

By bcinS

Ihus f"blim.d it fulftrs no

(b'umpufiti~o,

kt the opera·

tion be

rept.lt

ever Cn "Cll'n; Cu thar luhlimeJ Culphur.

or fl(\\\'er oi" fulrhur, harh

~xaftly

the fJlIle properties

as fulphur th.1t has

n~vcr

been Cublimeu.

If fulphur be expoCtu to a brilk hCJt in the open air,

in takes fire, huros, anu is whollycooi'umed. This de·

e.gration of fulphur is the nnly means we have of de·

compufing it. in order to obtain its aClu in punty. The

phlo~ifioo

is dellroyed by Ihe llame, aod the acid ex·

hales in "pours; Ihefe v,rpours colktled have all Ihe

prop~nits

of Ihevitriolie acid. aou

rilffcr

Crom

Ít

only as

they lIill rCldin Come portion of thephlogifion; which,

ho",ever, foon quils themof its own accord, rf Ihe free

acceCs of Ihe common air be nOI prccluded.

. The portion of phlogifion rctained by the .cid of

(ulphur is much 1Il0re conficterable when thal mineral is

burnt gradually and flowl y: in Ihat cafe Ihe •.rpours

which riCe from it have fuch a pcnetralios odour. Ih.t

they ionantaneoufly fu!Focale any perCon who draws in a

cemin quantilY of them wirh his brealh. Thefe va

pours conflitute what is called Ihe

v.lalil,

[piri!

fi"phur,

There is rea(on

Il,ink this portion of phlo.

sillon which the acid retains is combined therewilh in a

manner di!Ferent from that in which Ihefe IWO are united

in Ihe Culphur ilCelf; for nothing but altual buroing is

capable of Cepmting the.vitriolic acid and the phlogi.

f1on, which by their union form fulphur; whereas in Ihe

vol.:ile fpi,it of Culphur they Cepame Cpontaneoully

\Vhen expo(ed tO the open air ; Ihat is, the phlogillon

fiies off and leaves the acid, which then becomes in e·

very refpetl fimilar to Ihe vitl iolic acid.

That Ihe ,'ol"i leCpirit of Culphur is a compound, ap·

pears el'ideotly from hence, Ihat whenever Ihe vitriolic

. cid touches any Cubllance conlainiog the phlogiOon,

prol'ided thal phlogiflon be difeng.ged or opened

10 •

cenain degree, a volalile Cpirit of (ulphur is infallibly

and immediately generattrl, This Cpirit h. th aJl the

propenies of acius. but confiderably weakened, and of

courfe leCs perceptible.

uniles with abCorbent earths

or fixeu alkalis ; and wilh them forms neutral Calls:

but when combincd Iherewilh it may be Ceparated from

them by the vitriolic acid, and indeed by any of the

mineral acids, becauCe il! allinilies are we.ker. Sul·

phur halh Ihe property of uoiling with abCorbent eanhs,

but nOl near (o inlimately as Wilh 6xed alkalis.

If equal pans of fulphu r and analkali be melted toge·

ther, they incorporale with caeh other; a'nd from their

conjuntlion proceeds a compound of a moO

unpl~afant

fmdl, mucb like Ihat of rouen eggs, and of a reu co·

lour nearly re(embling that of an animal liver, which

has occofioned il

bear tbe name of

n,por fi"pnurÍJ,

liv., o[

fu/phar.

In this compofilion Ihe fiyed alkali communicms

the fulphur Ihe property of dilfolving in wd!Cr : and

hence it come! Ihat liver of Culphur may bemade as weJl

\Vhen Ihe alk.tli is dilfolved by water into a fluid,

a.\

when il is fuCed hy the atlion

fire.

VOL.

11.

No. 33.

R Y.

Sulph" r has lefs allioity Ihan any acid \qith Ihe fixcd

alkalis: and thereCore li" er of fulphu r may be decom·

poundcd by any acid whate,"cr; which will unile wilh

Ihe fixed alkali, fo,'m therclVith a neutral f,lt, and Ce.

parate the Culphur.

If liver oC lulphur be dirrulved in wmr, and an .cid

po"red Ihereon, the liquor, which lOas tranlpareRt be.

fore, inll.ntly tllros

an opaque while: becaufe th.

fulphur. being forced

quit its union wilh Ihe .Ikali,

lofes

Ihe Came time the propeny of dilf\llving in wa.

ler, and appears ar.ain in its oIVn opaque Corm. The

liquor thus made whrte by the (ulphur is callcd

mili o[

f"/pha r.

If Ihis liquor be fulfered

f1and nill for Come time,

the panicles of fu lphur, now mon

,~,nutely

divided, gra·

duaJly approach each other, unile, and f,JI infenfibly to

the bOllom of the

velf~1

;

a~d

Ihen the liquor recove"

its mnCparency, The fulphur thus depufited on the

bOICom of the velfe! is caJled Ihe

motif/u)

pmipi.

lat(

fn/phur.

The names of magiOery and precipilale

are alfQ gifen tOal! Cubllances whaleoer Ihat

are

Cepa.

rated Crom anolher hy Ihis merhod; which is Ihe re,Con

Ihat we ufe the exprcflion of precipitaling one fu hflanc.

by anolher, tO figmfy Ihe Ceparating one of Ihem by

means of Ihe other.

3. O[ th(

NITRous AC lo .

The nitrou! acid combined wilh cenai n

abCorb~nt

eanhs, fueh as chalk, marle, boles, forms neutral falts

which do not crylr,¡Jlize; and which, after being dried,

run in Ihe air

p<r d,/iquium.

IhoCe neutral C.lts which confiO of the nitrolls a.

cid joincd tO an emh, may be decompofed by a.hxed

albli, wilh which theacid unites, and deCem Ihe earth ;

and from Ihis union of Ihe nitrous acid wilh a fi>.eu al·

kali «fults a new neutral Call, which is calJed

nitr<,

falt.p'tr<,

This latICr name fignifies the

falt

jI,m;

and in fati, nitre is extratled from Ihe nones and plai.

ner, in which it forms, by botling them in water (ltUra·

led wilh a fixed alkali.

Nitre

1l1O~ts

in long cryflals adhering fideways tO

each olher ; il has

fahiOl lalle, which producesa (eo·

fation of cold on the longue.

This Calt eafily dilfolves in water; which, when it

boils, takes up lIill a greater quaotilY thereof,

Aows wilh a preuy moderate drgree of heal, and

continue! fixed Iherein: but being urged by a brilk 6re,

aod in Ihe open air, il 1m go (ome part of il! acid, and

indeed Aies on' itfrlf in

pan.

Themon reOlarkableproperty of nitre. and Iha! \\'hicb

charatlerizcs it, is its fulminalion or explolion; Ihe na·

tllre of which is

follows:

When nitre louches any filhflaoce conraining a phlogi.

non, .nd atlnally igniled, Ihat is, red hot, it bu ,lIs

0111

into

flame, burns, aDd is decompounJcd wilh much

noiC~.

Inthis ueflagration the acid is diOipated. and tOlally

(eparaled fromIhe alkali, whieh now

rem~ins

by itl;·lf.

Indeed Ihe acid, at leafl Ihe p,reatcfl pan of it, is by

this

mc~ns

quile dcflruycd . The alkali which, is

Idi

when nitl e is dccompounJed by dcAagration, is c.UeJ in

gcoerjl