COMBINATIONS OF OXIMURTATIC QAS AND OXIGEN. ]^5 



in contact with the sublimate, its opacity was restored, and 

 water driven off. 



In various cases in which I heated dry potash, or mixtares 

 of potash and the peroxide, in oximnriatic gas, there was 

 no separation of moisture, except when the gas contained 

 aqueous vapour ; and the oxigen evolved in the process, 

 when the heat was strongly raised, exactly corresponded to 

 that absorbed by the potassiurrt. 



When muriatic acicj gas was introduced to potash formed Derorapositiom 

 from the combustion of potassium, water was instantly of muriatic 

 formed, and oximuriate of potassium*. I have made uo potash ' 



accurate experiment on the proportions of muriatic acid gas 

 decomposed by potash, but I made a very minute investiga- 

 tion of the nature of the mutual decomposition of this sub- 

 stance and liydrat of potash. 



Ten grains of hydrat of potash were heated to redness in and by hydrat 

 a tray of platina, which was carefully weighed; it was intro- ^'^ 1^^^^^' 

 duced into a retort which was exhausted of air, and the re- 

 tort was filled with muriatic acid gas. The hydrat of pot- 

 ash was heated by a spirit lamp; water instantly separated 

 in great abuodance, and muriate of potash formed. A 

 strong heat was applied till the process was completed, 

 when the tray was taken out and weighed ; it had gained 

 ^rf grains, A minute quantity of liquid muriatic acid was 

 ^dded to the muriate, to ensure a complete neutralization, 

 find the tray heated to redness: there was no additional in- 

 crease of weight. 



In the few experiments which I have made on the action Action of 90- 



of sodium and soda on oximuriatic gas, the phenomena ap- ^'""^ ^^^ ^^* 

 J • J 1 u ^ J- • 1 ^ L Q'^ oximuriatic 



peared precisely analogous; but sodium, as might have gas. 



been expected, absorbed nearly twice ^^s much oximuriatic 



gas as potassium* 



M'hen common salt, that has been ignited, is heated Muriate of 



with potassium, there is an immediate decomposition, and "°^^ ^^^"™' 

 , . . , . 11, T • 1 . , posed by pot^ 



by giving the mixture a red heat, pure sodium is obtained ; assium. 



and this process affords an easy mode, and the one I have 



always lately adopted, for procuring that metal. No hi- ^'; »f **"* " 



^rogen is disengaged in this operation, aiid two parts of 



* L e. Muriate of potash. 



pptassim^ 



