e. Whenever nitrous oxide is mingled with nitrous gas and nitrogene, it must be separated by well boiled water; and after the corrections are made for the quantity of air disengaged from the water, the nitrous gas absorbed by the muriatic solution.
DIVISION V.
EXPERIMENTS and OBSERVATIONS on the production of NITROUS OXIDE from NITROUS GAS and NITRIC ACID, in different modes.
I. Preliminaries.
a.
The opinions of Priestley[132] and Kirwan,[133] relating to the causes of the conversion of nitrous gas into nitrous oxide, were founded on the theory of phlogiston. The first of these philosophers obtained nitrous oxide by placing nitrous gas in contact with moistened iron filings, or the alkaline sulphures. The last by exposing it to sulphurated hydrogene.
The Dutch chemists,[134] the latest experimentalists on nitrous oxide, have supposed that the production of this substance depends upon the simple abstraction of a portion of the oxygene of nitrous gas. They obtained nitrous oxide by exposing nitrous gas to muriate of tin, to copper in solution of ammoniac, and likewise by passing it over heated sulphur.
The diminution of volume sustained by nitrous gas during its conversion into nitrous oxide, has never been accurately ascertained; it has generally been supposed to be from two thirds to eight tenths.
b. Nitrous gas may be converted into nitrous oxide in two modes.
First, by the simple abstraction of a portion of its oxygene, by bodies possessing a strong affinity for that principle, such as alkaline sulphites, muriate of tin, and dry sulphures.