OBSERVATIONS ON MURIATIC ACID. 171 



VII. 



Obfcrvations and Experiments upon Oxigenized * and Hyperoxigen- 

 ■ ized Muriatic Acid ; and upon Jbme Combinations of the Mu- 

 riatic Acid in its Three States. By Richard Chenevix, 

 Efq. F. R. S. M. R. I. A. From the Philofophical Tranfac- 

 tionsfor 1802. 



W HEN Mr. Berthollet made known the combination of Inference of 

 what was then called oxigenated muriatic acid with potato, f^f^f^ 

 he gave as his opinion, that the proportion of oxigen, rela- igenated muriate 

 lively to the quantity of acid, was greater in the fait than in® f .P ota{h con ~ 



, • • » • • „, . . ~ tains more oxi- 



uncombmed oxigenized muriatic acid. This conjecture wasg en than is in 

 fairly founded upon the obfervation, that, in his mode of pre- the uncombined 

 paring this fait, a large portion of common muriate was formed 

 in the liquor, along with the hyperoxigenized muriate. The 

 memoir which he publifhed in the year 1788, is the laft with 

 which I am acquainted, upon this fubjecl. It does not con- 

 tain any- thing that, confidering the accuracy which is now 

 required in experiments, amounts to a demonftration of the 

 relative proportions of oxigen, in oxigenized and hyper- 

 oxigenized muriatic acids. Unfortunately, this chemift has 

 not purfued his refearches any farther ; although, from his 

 own words, we had every reafon to hope that they would have 

 been continued. 



In the Syfteme des Connoiffances Chimiques of Mr. Fourcroy, Fourcroy*s ac- 

 we find a fummary of the experiments that had preceded the count » 

 impreffion of his work, together with the following fentence: 

 " Tous les muriates furoxig£nes font decompofds par les 

 " acides, fouvent avec une violente decrepitation, avec un 

 " degagement de vapeur jaune verdatre, et une odeur tres- 

 " forte. Cette vapeur eft de veritable acide muriatique fur- 

 " oxig£ne\ Elle eft lourde, tombe en goutellettes d'un jaune 

 " vert, et forme des ftries comme de l'huile, fur les corps aux- 

 " quels elle adhere." This afTertion carries no confirmation 



* I have preferred this word to oxigenated^ becaufe ate is the ap- 

 propriate termination of certain falts formed by acids in ic. Some 

 further remarks upon this fubjeft will be made in a work now in 

 the prefs ? intitled, Remarks upon Chemical Nomenclature. 



along 





