By exposing, however, very finely pulverised sulphite of potash, mingled with alkali, for a great length of time to nitrous gas, it was almost wholly converted into sulphate; and after the separation of this solution, evaporation, and crystalisation, at a low temperature, I obtained the new combination, mingled with very little carbonate of potash, and still less of sulphite.
The minute quantity of sulphite chiefly appeared in very small crystals; distinct from the mass of salt, which possessed no regular crystalisation, and was almost wholly composed of the new compound, intimated mingled with a little carbonate. The new compound, as nearly as I could estimate from the quantity of nitrous oxide absorbed, consisted of about 3 alkali, to 1 of nitrous oxide, by weight.
It exhibited the following properties:
1. Its taste was caustic, and possessed of a pungency different from either potash or carbonate of potash.
2. It rendered vegetable blues green, which might possibly depend upon the carbonate of potash mixed with it.
3. Pulverised charcoal mingled with a few grains of it, and inflamed, burnt with flight scintillations. Projected into zinc in a state of fusion, a slight inflammation was produced.
4. When either sulphuric, muriatic, or nitric acid was introduced to it under mercury, it gave out nitrous oxide, mingled with a little carbonic acid.
5. Thrown into a solution of sulphurated hydrogene, gas was disengaged from it, but in quantities too minute to be examined.
6. When carbonic acid was thrown into a solution of it in water, gas was disengaged; on examination it proved to be nitrous oxide.
7. A concentrated solution of it kept in ebullition in a cylinder, confined by mercury, gave out a few globules of gas, which were too minute to be examined, and probably consisted of common air previously contained in the water.