It is probable, that all the bodies having strong affinity for oxygene will, at certain temperatures, convert nitrous gas into nitrous oxide. Priestley, and the Dutch chemists, effected the change by heated sulphur. Perhaps nitrous gas sent through a tube heated, but not ignited, with phosphorus, would be converted into nitrous oxide. [135] That is, alumn containing sulphate of potash. IV. _Decomposition of Nitrous Gas, by Sulphurated Hydrogene._ _a._ When nitrous gas and sulphurated hydrogene are mingled together, a decomposition of them slowly takes place. The gases are diminished, sulphur deposited, nitrous oxide formed, and signs of the production of ammoniac[136] and water perceived. [136] The production of ammoniac in this process was observed by Kirwan and Austin. In this process no sulphuric, or sulphureous acid is produced; consequently none of the sulphur is oxydated, and of course the changes depend upon the combination of the hydrogene of the sulphurated hydrogene, with different portions of the oxygene and nitrogene of the nitrous gas, to form water and ammoniac, the remaining oxygene and nitrogene assuming the form of nitrous oxide. This singular exertion of attractions by a simple body, appears highly improbable a priori, nor did I admit it, till the formation of ammoniac, and the non-oxygenation of the sulphur, were made evident by many experiments. In those experiments, the diminution of the nitrous gas was not uniformly the same. It varied from ¹¹/₂₀ to ¹⁴/₂₀. In the most accurate of them, 5 cubic inches of nitrous gas were converted into 2.2 of nitrous oxide. Consequently the quantity of ammoniac formed was,047 grains. In experiments on the conversion of nitrous gas into nitrous oxide, by sulphurated hydrogene, the gases should be rendered as dry as possible. The presence of water considerably retards the decomposition. _b._ The sulphures[137] dissolved in water convert nitrous gas into nitrous oxide. This decomposition is not, however, produced by the simple abstraction of oxygene from the nitrous gas to form sulphuric acid. It depends as well on the decomposition of the sulphurated hydrogene dissolved in the solution, or liberated from it. In this process sulphur is deposited on the surface of the fluid, sulphuric acid is formed, and the diminution, making the necessary corrections, is nearly the same as when free sulphurated hydrogene is employed. [137] Solution of sulphure of strontian, or barytes, should be used. During the conversion of nitrous gas into nitrous oxide by those bodies, a thin film is deposited on the surface of the solution. This film examined, is found to consist of sulphur and sulphate. Possibly the nitrous gas is wholly decomposed by the hydrogene of the sulphurated hydrogene in the solution, whilst the sulphate is produced from water decompounded by the sulphur to form more gas for the saturation of the hydro-sulphure.