U4 



Potassium 

 contains pot- 

 ash and hidro- 

 gen. 



Heat separates 

 water and pot- 

 ash, ami eva- 

 porates them 

 at a certain de- 

 gree, whether 

 chemically 

 combined is 

 not known. 



ON POTASSIUM, SODIUM, AND OXIMURIATIC ACI». 



That is, 77*5 measures of muriatic acid -f- 34'5 measures 

 of oxigen, together 1 1 2 measu res, will , when chemically com- 

 bined, be 6qual to X measures of oximuriatic acid gas. How 

 your correspondent ascertains the value of a- in the above equa- 

 tion to be 100, 1 know not. It may as easily and as probably 

 be assumed 50 or 500. Surely he is not so ignorant of Mr. 

 Davy's experience as not to know, that 77*5 measures of 

 muriatic acid ga^ + 34*5 of oxigen, are far inferior in 

 weight to 100 measures of oximuriatic acid. The truth is, 

 the specific gravity of oximuriatic acid gas is a datum most 

 obviously necessary in the estimation of the oxigen a given 

 volume of it contains. 



With regard to the facts and arguments respecting po- 

 tassium and sodium, I can bring forward the following, 

 namely, that fused hydrate of potash consists of potash and 

 water, or potash, hidrogen, and oxigen; that in the decom- 

 position of this article by Voltaic electricity, nothing but 

 oxigen gas is evolved, and potassium remains; hence I con- 

 clude, that potassium contains, and probably consists of 

 potash and hidrogen. If your correspondent is not satisfied 

 with these facts, and this reasoning, 1 cannot convince him. 

 The first fact I adopt from my own experience and that of 

 others, the second from that of Mr. Davy; and I am not 

 able to discover any flaw in the conclusive argument. 



As to the question, what is the power that produces the 

 separation of water and potash ? I answer, heat. When I 

 say, that, by the application of heat to a certain degree, 

 ** the alkali and water both evaporate," no one has autho- 

 rity from me to add "in a state of chemical union," nor 

 yet "in a separate state," thou gh only one of the two ways 

 is likely to be true. The fact was, I had not ascertained 

 when I wrote that, nor indeed have I yet, which of the two 

 is true. I am rather inclined to the latter; but as this is 

 one of a large class of chemical facts, T wish to have more 

 experience, and more time to reflect upon it, than at pre- 

 sent I possess. It forms an important inquiry according to 

 my views of chemistry, to ascertain the relation of water to 

 the acids,, alkalis, &c. in the very act of distillation ; name- 

 ly, whether the water in passing over is in a state of steam, 

 »uch as we find it in the atmosphere, or in a gasiform state 



ft" : ... of 



