OBSERVATIONS ON MURIATIC ACID. J75 



obtained, in the fecond bottle, a folution of whatever fubftance The third bottle 

 might refult from the aaion of potato upon hyperoxigenized J^^' /"." 

 muriatic acid. pours. 



I took a portion of this liquor, which I flia.Il call entire The liquor of 

 liquor*, and diftilled it to drynefs in a glafs retort, taking ^^J^ 1 * 

 care to fcreen it from light. A tube from the receiver commu- diftillation, but 

 nicated with the pneumatic tub. My objea was to afcertain, J^*| tl"^ 

 whether the change obferved by Mr. Berthollet, in the distribu- 

 tion of the elements of oxigenized muriatic acid, to form, with 

 potafh, a fimple and a hyperoxigenized muriate, really took 

 place among thofe elements themfelves, independently of any 

 abforption of oxigen from the atmofphere, or extrication of it 

 from the fait. Nothing but fome water, and a few inches of 

 the dilated air of the vefTels, pafled into the receiver and the 

 pneumatic apparatus ; and I found, in the retort, a faline 

 mafs f, perfectly dry and cryftallized. Hence it is evident, 

 that the fame quantity of oxigen as that formerly contained in 

 the oxigenized muriatic acid, which had been united to the 

 alkali, to form the total mafs of fait, was now condenfed, in that 

 part which had become hyperoxigenized muriate. 



To afcertain this quality, I diffolved 100 grains of the entire ioo grains of 

 fait in water, and precipitated by nitrate of filver. I thus ob- ££** ^ pi * 

 tained a quantity of muriate of filver, which, by proportions filver as 84 

 previoufly determined, I knew to correfpond to 84 of muriate S ra,n * ot m " ri ~ 

 of potafh: therefore, 16 were hyperoxigenized muriate of would have done, 

 potafh £. But, according to the proportions eftablifhed above Therefore 16 

 in hyperoxigenized muriate of potafh, 16 of this fait contain 6 parts were hy- 

 c • • 1 r • 1 1 -ii- 11 i- 1 peroxigemzed 



01 oxigen, with 3,20 or acid, the remainder being alkali and muriate. 



water ; and, by preliminary experiments, I found that 84 of 

 muriate of potalh contained 27,88 of muriatic acid. Therefore 

 27,88-|-3,20=31,08 of muriatic acid, with 6 of oxigen, or, to 

 reduce it to the quintal, 



* I am well aware that, upon philofophical principles, this appel- 

 , lation is objectionable j but, for the fake of brevity, I haveufed it 

 as a temporary name for a fubftance which has only a relative ex- 

 iftence among chemical bodies. 



f This fait I (hall call entire fait. 



X I mull obferve here, that hyperoxigenized muriate of potafh 

 does not, like fimple muriate, decompofe the falts of filver. This 

 ih.aH be further animadverted upon, and proved, in its proper place. 



Muriatic 



