On a new constituent of atmospheric air

Abstract

This preliminary note is intended to give a very brief account experiments which have been carried out during the past year ascertain whether, in addition to nitrogen, oxygen, and argon, ere are any gases in air which have escaped observation owing their being present in very minute quantity. In collaboration th Miss Emily Aston we have found that the nitride of magnesium, resulting from the absorption of nitrogen from atmospheric or, on treatment with water yields only a trace of gas; that gas is drogen, and arises from a small quantity of metallic magnesium converted into nitride. That the ammonia produced on treatment with water is pure has already been proved by the fact that Lord Rayleigh found that the nitrogen obtained from it had the noral density.