Researches Chemical and Philosophical; Chiefly concerning nitrous oxide / or dephlogisticated nitrous air and its respiration

by Sir Humphry Davy

[95] Except it be gold or platina.

[96] A pound of nitrate of ammoniac costs about 5s. 10d. This pound, properly decomposed, produces rather more than 34 moderate doses of air; so that the expence of a dose is about 2d. What fluid stimulus can be procured at so cheap a rate?

[97] Experiments and Observations, vol. II. pag. 50. Last Edition.

[98] That is, charcoal produced by the decomposition of spirits of wine. Vol. II. pag. 39.

[99] Dr. Priestley says, “having heated iron in nitrous air, I proceeded to heat in the same air, a piece of charcoal not long after it had been subjected to a strong heat covered with sand. The sun not shining immediately, after the charcoal was introduced into the vessel of air, through the mercury by which it was confined, part of the air was absorbed; but on heating the charcoal, the quantity was increased. Having continued the progress as long as I thought necessary, I examined the air and found it to be about as much as the original quantity of nitrous air; but it was all phlogisticated air extinguishing a candle and having no mixture of fixed air in it.”—Experiments and Observations, Vol. II, page 39.

[100] That is, sulphate of iron containing oxide of iron, in the first degree of oxygenation.

[101] That is, carbon, or oxide of diamond.

[102] That is, blue prussiate of iron.

[103] No luminous appearance is produced when phosphorus is introduced into pure nitrous gas. It has been often observed, that phosphorus is luminous in nitrous gas, that has not been long in contact with water after its production. This phænomenon, I suspect, depends either on the decomposition of the nitric acid held in solution by the nitrous gas; or on the combination of the phosphorus with oxygene loosely adhering to the binary aëriform compound of nitric acid and nitrous gas. I have not yet examined if nitrous gas can be converted into nitrous oxide by long exposure to heated phosphorus: it appears, however, very probable.

[104] Perhaps this fact has been noticed before; I have not, however, met with it in any chemical work.