Oir OXIMUEIATIO ACID. 193 



foroied die experiment, excluding water, and stated, that Mr. t>aT^. 

 he "never obtained carbonie acid gas, though oximuriatic 

 gas in great excess was employed.'* I alluded briefiy in 

 my reply to the source of errour whence this observation I 

 conceived had arisen, and I now find my conjecture to have 

 been just. I had found in the case of the production of car- ^^^^^ *^ 

 bonic apid from the mutual action of oximuriatic acid, 

 hidrogen, and carbonic oxide, that no milkiness is apparent 

 on the first or even the second transmission of the gas 

 .through lime water, the small portion of remaining muriatic 

 ^r Oxipiuriatic acid preventing the formation of carbonate of 

 lime, I had no doubt that this had operated in Mr. Davy*s 

 experiment, especially as he laid stress on the very cir- 

 cumstance which would give rise to it, the great excess of 

 oximuriatic acid employed ; and I have found, that this is 

 the case. One measure of carbu retted hidrogen gas ob- 

 tained by passing watery vapour over ignited charcoal, freed The expeti- 

 from any intermixture of carbonic acid by careful agitation ^*2^'^*" 

 with lime water, and afterward dried, was mixed with a 

 mejjsure and a half of oximuriatic acid gas passed over dry 

 muriate of liipe; the mixture was inflamed over dry quick- 

 silver by the electric spark ; the residual gas was transmitted 

 fir^t through water, and afterward through lime water; no 

 milkintss was apparent in the latter on the first or second and carbonic 

 transmission, but on the third the surface became milky, ^'^^^ produced, 

 the whole became turbid on agitation, and this was repeated 

 on two or three subsequent transmissions. The production 

 of carbonic acid was therefore not in the least doubtful*. 



* The rcsjdual f^a^ in this cxperimcat burned vith the Hue lambent Residual gas. 

 flame of carbonic oxide, and gave carbonic acid in its combustion. If 

 it were found to be cai1)onic oxide, it would prore, on tbe sup^ositipn 

 that tbe gas from humid cbarcoal after careful washing with water is 

 a binary compound of carbon and hidrogen, that still more oxigen had 

 l^ecn commuoicated from the oximuriatic acid, than had gone to the 

 formation of the icarboBic acid ; or, if this were not admitted, the re- 

 sujt would throw some light on the dipputed qnpstioft with regard to 

 what arc named the carbuiipUed hidrogen gasses, whether ozigen ex- 

 ists in their composition j as it would i-ender probable the opinion, 

 that this gas at least is a ternary compound of ©irbon, hidrogen, and 

 oxigen, in opposition to the opinion, that it hi a binary Compound of 

 carbon and hidrogen. ^ 



Vol. XXIX.—Jult> 1811. O . Th« 



