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COMBINATION OF SULPHUR WITH ALCALIES.

sel, which increases in size exhibiting a combustion more rapidthan that of iron and sulphur.

A society of Dutch chemists consisting of Mess. Dieman,Pacts, Van Troostwyk, and others were the first who observedthis phenomenon.

They introduced filings of copper with different proportions ofsulphur into small glass phials, from which common air was ex-cluded, being in some cases filled with carbonic acid gas, or ni-trogen gas, and in others, with water or mercury.

Whenever the phial was heated under any of these circum-stances, the mixture began to swell; the metal always becamered hot and in some cases real inflammation took place, notwith-standing the exclusion of oxigen gas.

The proportions that produced most ignition or flame, were 40parts of copper and 15 of sulphur.

Iron and sulphur inflamed like copper. The best proportionwas three parts of iron and one of sulphur.

Tin and sulphur succeeded in the same proportion.

Lead and sulphur, the proportions being as 45 of the formerand 15 of the latter.

Zinc and sulphur in the same proportion burned with ex-plosion.

Mercury, bismuth, antimony, and cobalt, could not be madeto inflame with sulphur.

These experiments succeed equally well in the Torricellianvacuum.

COMBINATION OF SULPHUR WITH ALCALIES.

Alcalies and sulphur have a great affinity to each other in thedry as well as in the humid way.