lldilBIKATIOKl OF oltMURlATlc'cAS AND OXIGGN. igJSl^ 



simple attractions: thus, they Are tiot altered by boractc decomposable 



:acid, though, wKen water is added to them, they readily "'"'^^"^ water. 



^afford muriatic acid and their peculiar 'earths. 



From this circtiriistance, I was indnO^d to believe, that Compounds of 



these three compounds consist Inerely of the peculiar me- metals wuh 

 . , . , r 1 11- • oxmmriatic 



tallic bases, which I have named bavuim, strontium, and gas. 



culcium, and oximuriatic gas; and such experiments as I 



have been able to make, confirm the conclusion. 



When baryta, strontia, or lime, is heated in oximuriatic Theearths 

 gas to redness, a body precisely the same as a dry muriate is p^^^ ^^ o'x'gea 

 formed, and oxigen is expelled from the earth. ^I have *or two ©f oxi- 

 never been able to effect so complete a decomposition of™ ^^*^&^' 

 these earths by oximuriatic gas, as to ascertain the quantity 

 of cxigen produced from a given quantity of earth. But 

 in three experiments made with great care 1 found, that one 

 of oxigen was evolved for every two in volume of oximuri- 

 atic gas absorbed. 



I have not yet tried the experiiment of acting upon oxi- Direct union 

 muriatic gas by the bases of the alkaline'earths ; but I have ""^ y®^ *"'^*: 

 not the least doubt, that these bodies would combine di- ♦** 



rectly with that substance, and form dry muriates. 



In the last experiment that I made on the metallization Earths pro- 

 of the earths by amalgamation, I paid particular attention ^jj^^-^ metaTuc 

 to the state of the products formed by exposing the resi- bases, 

 duum of amalgams to the air, I found, that baryta formed ..-^n •»»»*ff:H 

 in this way was not fusible at an intense white heat, and '^^ • "-* 

 that strontia and lime so formed gave off no water wheft 

 ignited. Baryta made from crystals of the earth, as Mr. not hydrates 

 BevthoUet has shown, is a fusible* hydrate ; and I found, that n*on gjlr^JI^ 

 this earth gave moisture when decomposed by oximuriatic ,^k^.*,i#-j^ 

 gas; and the lime, in hydrate of lime, was much mor^ '^^ -!•« 



rapidly decomposed by oximuriatic gas than quicklime, 

 its oxigen being rapidly expelled with the water. -■ •u-:f'.^^ 



Some dry quicklime was heated in a retort, filled with Dry quicklime 



muriatic acid gas: water was instantly formed in jjreat ^®^^''** '" ™"* 



" •' o natic gas. 



abundance, and it can hardly be doubted, that this arose 



from the hidrogen of the acid combining with the oxigen of 

 the lime. 



As potassium so readily decomposes common salt, I Action of pot- 

 thought it migh". posoibly decompose muriate of lime, and *"*""» o" ^* 



thus 



