OBSERVATIONS ON MURIATIC ACID. 177 



add by a peculiar method, which I (hall notice in fpcaking of 

 (lie action of acids upon hyperoxigenized muriate of potafn. 

 The fubflance he obtained was, in fad, notoxigenized muriatic 

 acid gas, but a mixture of that gas with hyperoxigenized mu- 

 riatic acid. I have not the fmalleft doubt of the accuracy 

 of his ftatement ; but, being the proportion of a mixture, it 

 in no way contradicts either of thole I have determined in this 

 Paper. 



Before I difmifs this part of the fubject, I with to anticipate There was no 

 an objedion, founded upon an obfervation of Mr. Berthollet, f^^nTn 

 which may be made to the above experiments. He fays, that the experiments, 

 when the alkaline folution is very concentrate, an effervef- 

 cence takes place durin thewhole of the faturation, and for 

 lome days after ; and this effervefcence he attributes to the 

 efcape of oxigen. But I have already faid, that no oxigen gas 

 was difengaged in any part of my procefs ; and no effervef- 

 cence took place in any of the bottles, except the third ; To 

 that no fuperabundance of oxigen could have paffed from one It Is probable the 

 into the other, nor could any diminution of the total quantity BerJhoUeTwas 

 have been produced. By repeating the experiments, fome- owing to carbo- 

 times with a folution of alkali, and fometimes with water alone, n^ 301 ^ 

 in the firft bottle, I obtained the liquor in the fecond bottle 

 uniform in all cafes. Indeed, as potafli prepared in Mr. 

 BertholIet\s manner, was not in fuch general life at the time 

 he performed his experiments as at prefent, I fufpect that a 

 great part of this effervefcence was owing to a difengagement 

 of carbonic acid from the alkali, 



Having thus proved the difference between the ftates of thefe 

 two acids, I (hall now proceed to the combination of each with 

 falifiable bafes. 



OXIGENIZED MURIATES. 



As many properties of the entire liquor, before it had been Whether the II- 



evaporated to dryness, had led me to imagine that the acid was < * uor before cva " 



./,.,,, ,1 ,. , ... , . . . , . poration did con- 



united with the alkali, and remained in combination with it, tain the two falts 



in the flate of oxigenized muriatic acid, till the moment of or ° nl y one 0Xl - 



cryftallization, I think it neceffary to ftate at length the ap- for^the inftant 6 " 



pearances which induced me to draw that conclufion, and the of cryftallization. 



experiments which afterwards convinced me that it was 



erroneous. 



Vol. III.— November, JS02. N. A few 



