A Z O
A Z O
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ftained in the extract of a letter published by SirH. Davy , 1 which announces the discovery of acompound of azote and chlorine appearing asan oil heavier than water, that detonates withall the violence of the fulminating metals bythe mere heat of the hand, separating therebyin the gasseous form the two elements of whichit is composed, evolving much heat and light.The writer also adds that this dangerous pro-perty had cost to the discoverer both an eye anda finger.
With this obscure hint of the nature of thissubstance, added to the recollection of the ac-cidental formation of an oil by passing chlorinegas through nitrat of ammonia suggested byMr. Children, Sir H. Davy has been enabled toproduce this oily detonating compound, whichindeed is a very simple process, and, as we areinformed in the memoir on the subject, hadnearly cost him the same unfortunate sacrifice ofan eye as to the first discoverer (M. Dulong) inthe attempt to become more famiiiar with theproperties of this formidable compound.
M. Dulong has since made known all theparticulars of this discovery in a paper latelyread to the French Institute, of which a generalabstract is given by Messrs. Thenard and Ber-thollet. b
From this and Sir H. Davy ’s memoir we learnthe following particulars. Azote and oxymu-riatic gas have no known action on each otherwhen in the gasseous form, but when oxymu-riatic gas is passed through a solution of the nitratof ammonia, the oxalat, or many other ammo-niacal salts, it is rapidly absorbed and a filmcollects on the surface, which is soon resolvedinto distinct drops of a yellowish oil that sinksto the bottom of the liquid, and is the detonatingcompound in question. A weak solution ofpure ammonia will answer as well as the neu-
tral ammoniacal salt. A temperature of about40° or 50° answers the best for its production.Sir H. Davy obtained it immediately by shakingin a phial a saturated solution of nitrated am-monia with about six cubic inches of chlorine,a mode of operating which appears attendedwith extreme hazard, for even when a largequantity of the gas was merely passed througha Woulfe’s apparatus charged with the differentammoniacal solutions, the whole exploded vio-lently and shattered the apparatus to pieces.
This detonating oil is yellowish, but quitetransparent and highly liquid. Its smell is verynauseous, resembling that of the compound ofcarbonic oxyd and chlorine. It evaporates ra-pidly but silently when exposed to the air at acommon temperature, but when slightly warm-ed it explodes vehemently, insomuch that it isdangerous to warm in any glass vessel a globuleof the oil no bigger than a grain of mustardseed. When this oil merely touches many com-bustible matters, even without increasing thetemperature, it explodes very violently, so asgenerally to shatter any glass vessel. This isthe case when a globule of it is thrown intoolive oil, turpentine, or naphtha. But with al-cohol it only loses gradually its explosive pro-perty and becomes a white oily matter. Whena particle of this oil touches phosphorus, orphosphorized alcohol and ether, it explodeswith equal violence. It has no effect on mu-riatic or sulphuric acid, zinc, tinfoil or sulphur.M. Dulong attempted to analyze it by addingit, and the liquor in which it was formed, to avessel containing copper filings. Muriated oxydof copper was produced and azotic gas givenout. It seems therefore to be without doubt acompound of chlorine and azote, but its un-manageable properties make its analysis an affairof difficulty and some danger.
B
BARIUM. Barytes.
The basis of the earth barytes was first ob-tained by the eminent discoverer of the alkalinebases in the following way : c pure barytes wasmade into a paste with water, and a small cavitymade in i.t to receive a globule of mercury,the barytes was laid on a slip of platina whichwas made positive in a voltaic battery, and theglobule of mercury was rendered negative. Intins state the barytes was deprived of oxygen,a.nd its base, Barium , was obtained amalgamatedwith the mercury, from which it was separated
by evaporating the mercury. Barium thusprocured is of a dark grey colour, with a lowmetallic lustre, and heavier than sulphuric acid.When thrown into water it effervesces, hydro-gen is given off from one portion of the decom-posed water whilst its oxygen unites with thebarium, and barytes is reproduced and dissolvesin the water.
Sir H. Davy estimates the elements of barytesto be about 89.7 per cent, of barium, and 10.3of oxygen.
iJarytcs is the fir.-t oxyd of barium. Its