O'LEFIANT GAS (04114) is transparent and colorless, possesses a disagreeable alliaceous odor, and acts as a poison when breathed. Its specific gravity is 0.981. It takes fire when brought in contact with a flame, and burns with a bright clear light. When this gas is mixed with oxygen or atmospheric air in the proportion of 1 volume with 3 volumes of oxygen, or with 15 volumes of atmospheric air, it forms a powerfully explo sive mixture. It is more soluble in cold than in hot water-100 volumes of water at 32' absorbing 26.5 volumes of the gas, while at 68° they only absorb 14 volumes. It was liquefied by Faraday under great pressure, but remained unfrozen at 166°. If it be con ducted through strongly-heated tubes, or if a continuous series of electric sparks be passed through it, it is decomposed into a very dense black carbon, and double its own volume of hydrogen; and if it is subjected to a less intense heat, the products of decom position arc carbon and light carbu•eted hydrogen or marsh gas Chlorine acts upon this gas in a very remarkable manner. When the two gases are mixed in equal
volumes, they combine to form a heavy oily liquid, to which the term chloride of °tell ant gas, or Dutch liquid (q.v.), is given. It is from this reaction that the term olefiant was originally applied to this gas.
Oletiant.gas is a constituent of the gaseous explosive admixtures that accumulate in coal-pits, and of the gaseous products yielded by the distillation of wood, resinous mat ters, and coal; and the brightness of the flame of ordinary gas is in a great measure dependent upon the quantity of olefiant gas that is present.
This gas is most readily obtained by the action of oil of vitriol on alcohol; the reactions that ensue are too complicated to be described in these pages.