46 MURIATIC AND OXYMURIATIC ACIDS. 



from my experiments, to be attained, when the hydrogen and 

 oxymuriatic acid, taken together, have the proportion to the 

 viz. both gases muriatic acid, of about 1 to 35. The amount of the change, 

 as { h : e ™' nal ' c therefore, which is capable of being effected on muriatic acid 

 gas, electrified without the contact of mercury, is limited by 

 the reaction of the evolved hydrogen and oxy muriatic acid 

 gasses on each other, whenever they compose a certain pro- 

 portion of the mixture. This proportion being attained, we 

 only, by continuing the electrization, work in a circle. 

 Muriatic acid It may now be inquired, what is the limitation to the action 

 •ver mercury, f electricity on muriatic acid gas, which is confined over mer- 

 cury ? In this case it was suggested to me by Mr. Dalton, 

 who favoured me with his presence at most of the experi- 

 ments, that the evolved hydrogen might possibly in some way 

 prevent the effect from being carried beyond a certain amount. 

 Availing myself of this hint, I mixed thirty measures of 

 hydrogen gas with 400 of muriatic acid gas in its ordinary 

 with about state, and passed 900 discharges through the mixture. It soon 



1 ;\ 3tl ! lts buIk became evident that the addition of the hydrogen bad pro- 

 of hydrogen, . ' - ■ 

 i3 not changed duced an important difference in the results of the experi- 



by electriza- me nts -, for the surface of the mercury, over which the gas 

 rested, was untarnished after some hundred explosions, and 

 was scarcely changed at the close of the process. When the 

 residuary gas, the volume of which remained unaltered, was 

 analyzed, it was found to contain the same quantity of muria- 

 tic gas, as at the outset, and neither more nor less hydrogen, 

 because the To explain the event of this modification of the experiment, 

 wtter n finTs d on the old theory, we may suppose, that, by the action of elec- 

 hydrogen to tricity, a particle of water is decomposed, and that the atom of 

 recompose it : 0XV g- eil) forcibly repelled from that of hydrogen with which 

 it was associated, finds another atom of hydrogen uninfluenced 

 by the electric fluid, and within the sphere of its attraction. 

 With this it unites, and recomposes water. On the theory of 

 or themuriatic Sir H. Davy, the same series of decompositions and recombi- 

 posed and^re™ nat,ons ma y De assumed to take place between the oxymuriatic 

 composed. acid and hydrogen*. It 



* I am aware, that there is an apparent inconsistency in supposing 

 changes of precisely an opposite kind to be effected by the same means. 

 But instances are not wanting, in which the very same elements are 

 krought into combination by electric discharges, and are again disunited 



by 



