CHEMICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL;

CHIEFLY CONCERNING

NITROUS OXIDE,

OR

DEPHLOGISTICATED NITROUS AIR,

AND ITS

RESPIRATION.

By HUMPHRY DAVY,

SUPERINTENDENT OF THE MEDICAL PNEUMATIC

INSTITUTION.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR J. JOHNSON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD,

BY BIGGS AND COTTLE, BRISTOL.

1800.

1

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION,

RESEARCH I.

Into the analysis of NITRIC ACID and NITROUS Gas,
and the production of NITROUS Oxide.

DIVISION I.

EXPERIMENTS and OBSERVATIONS on the compofition
of NITRIC ACID, and on its combinations with
WATER and NITROUS GAS.

1. Preliminaries

2. Production of aëriform Nitrous Acid

3. Specific gravity of Gases

xi.

1

3

6

6. Experiments on the combination of Nitrous Gas with
Nitric Acid

17

17

23

29

7. Additional Experiments

8. Conclufions

9. Mr. THOMSON's Theory of the difference between

Nitric and Nitrous Acid

30

DIVISION IL.

EXPERIMENTS and OBSERVATIONS on the compofition

of AMMONIAC and on its combinations with WATER

5. Decompofition of Carbonate of Ammoniac, by Nitrous
Acid

75

5. Decompofition of Sulphate of Ammoniac by Nitre
6. Non-existence of Ammoniacal Nitrites

77

79

7. Sources of error in Analyfis

80

8. Lofs in Solutions of Nitrate of Ammoniac during

evaporation

DIVISION III.

DECOMPOSITION of NITRATE of AMMONIAC-Prepara-
ration of RESPIRABLE NITROUS OXIDE.

1. Of the heat required for the decompofition of Nitrate
of Ammoniac

83

84

2. Decompofition of Nitrate of Ammoniac-Production
of refpirable Nitrous Oxide-its properties

86

3. Of the Gas remaining after the abforption of Nitrous
Oxide by Water

4. Specific Gravity of Nitrous Oxide

5. Analysis of Nitrous Oxide

6. Minute examination of the decompofition of Nitrate
of Ammoniac

101

7. Of the heat produced during the decompofition of

Nitrate of Ammoniac

108

10. Of the preparation of Nitrous Oxide for experiments
on respiration

-

DIVISION IV.

109

113

i17

EXPERIMENTS and OBSERVATIONS on the compofition of
NITROUS GAS, and on its abforption by different bodies..
1. Preliminaries

2. Analyfis of Nitrous Gas by Charcoal

3. Analyfis of Nitrous Gas by Pyrophorus
4. Additional obfervations on the compofition of Nitrous

122

126

132

134

140

6. Abforption of Nitrous Gas by Water of different kinds 147
7. Abforption of Nitrous Gas by solution of pale green
Sulphate of Iron

152

8. Abforption of Nitrous Gas by folution of green mu-
riate of Iron

179

9. By Solution of Nitrate of Iron

187

10. By other metallic Solutions

11 Action of fulphurated Hydrogene on folution of green
fulphate of iron impregnated with Nitrous Gas.

12. Additional Obfervations

DIVISION V.

EXPERIMENTS and OBSERVATIONS on the production of
NITROUS OXIDE from NITROUS GAS and NITRIC
ACID in different modes.

1. Preliminaries

2. Converfion of Nitrous Gas into Nitrous Oxide by

alkaline fulphites

191

193

197

- 199