53- 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 

 Compojition of Muriatic Acid. 



Letter on the IN (lie third number of the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical 



competition of j ourna j pu bli{hed July I la ft, is the tran'flation of a letter for- 

 rounatic acid. J . 



warded to the editors of' that work by the celebrated Fabbroni. 



It bears date from Pifa, May 9, 1805, and rs written by Dr. 

 Francifco Pacchioni, profeffor of natural philofopy in the uni- 

 verfily of that city, to Sig. Lorenzo Pignotti. 

 Water decom- After fome prefatory observations, the writer announces 



pofed by gal- ^at he has fucceeded by galvanifm in obtaining fatisfaclory 

 evidence or the nature of the conttituent principles ot muri- 

 atic acid. He expreffes his confidence that the fimplicity of 

 his apparatus and means have fecured him againft iilulion; but 

 for want of time he forbears to relate the whole feries of his 

 experiments. His refults are, 

 — thatmumtic ]. Muriatic acid is an oxide of hidrogen. 2. In the oxige- 

 ©T hidrogen*. 1 * nate< ^ muriatic acid and therefore, a fortiori, in muriatic acid 

 there is a much lefs proportion of oxigen than in water.' ". 

 Hidrogen may have very many and different degrees of oxida* 

 tion. 

 Some account of The author informs us that having, by accurate experiments, 

 the experiment. a f cer t a ined the true theory of galvanifm, he readily difcovered 

 a very limple and exa6l apparatus, in which he could diftinclly 

 perceive the changes which happen to water, which, from 

 the continued action of the galvanic pile, is conltantly lofing 

 its oxigen at the furfaceof a wire of very pure gold immerfed 

 in it. 

 Water deprived With this apparatus, which I conjecture mull have been 

 of oxigen firft t} ie f ame as that of Davy, in which the oxigen and hydrogen 

 ' were given off in feparate veffels of water, he obferved that 

 pure oxigen was emitted from the gold wire, that the water 

 became acid, and when by proceeding in the operation until 

 the refidual fluid occupied about half the capacity of the re- 

 ceiver (that is, I prefume, when half the fluid in one of the 

 veffels had difappeared) the remainder was found to be of an 

 orange colour, more deep the lefs quantity of fluid. It re- 

 — and then ap- fembled a folution of gold. From the lower orifice of the 

 peared to have veffel, which was clofed with a piece of taffetas and then with 



diflblved partof ,,,,,,, r n i r i • • 



the gold wire. double bladder, a Imell was emitted of oxigenaled muriatic 

 acid. The gold wire appeared corroded. The bit of taffetas 



which 



