ON THE DOCTRINE OF PHLOGISTON. 45 



*' oxide, as thefe would have a greater affinity for oxigen." 

 From the above ftatement the mifreprefentation both of the 

 explanation and words rauft be manifeft, and the infertion of 

 the word all is curious enough. (EfTay on Gafeous Oxide, &c. 

 Philos. Journal, vol. v. quarto, p. 4.) 



In the experiments made with the mixtures of carbonate of Filings and chalk 

 lime dried as much as poffible and metallic filings, the Dr. b y a Dr> ' Ptfjftley 

 conceives that the gas rauft have been produced by the water to afford a gas 

 which, dill remaining in the carbonate, had united with the C p ^^n°tad 

 phlogifton of the metal, and palled over in the form of inflam- water, 

 mable gas, mixed with the fixed air feparated from the chalk. 



If the inflammable gafes were produced in thefe cafes by the If fo, the gas 

 water feparating from the earth, and palling over the red-hot 7** ht £*?j?* 

 metal in the form of fleam, then they mould be the very fame filings and water; 

 as that obtained by pafiing the vapour of water through a red- 

 hot iron tube ; but it is well known, the gafes thus produced 

 are fo far from being the fame, that they are extremely differ- 

 ent in all their properties ; for the hidrogen, or light inflam- ^ th; s is the 

 mable air, produced by the decompofition of the water in fai^ * n & firms 

 pafiing through the tube, is the lighten 1 of all aeriform fluids, water by com- 

 and, when combined with oxigen, there is not the lean 1 ap- 

 pearance of carbonic acid, and nothing formed but water. On whereas the ga- 

 the contrary, the gafeous oxide procured by heat from a mix- th^Lavieft'in- 

 ture of the drieft earthy carbonates with metallic filings, is the flammable gas, 



heavieft of all known inflammable gafes, and when united with an< | [ P r ? duces 



, . , i • • i i . • carbonic gas by 



oxigen, produces nothing but carbonic acid, there not being combuftion, 



the leaft appearance of water. It is impoflible, therefore, that witb m water* 

 thefe heavy inflammable gafes fhould be produced by water 

 alone, in any flate, acting upon pure metals ; for the gafes ob- 

 tained from the decompofition of this fluid, whether from the 

 folution of metals in dilute acids, or from their aclion on its 

 vapour when raifed to a red heat, are always of the fame na- 

 ture, being pure hidrogenous gas. 



Dr. Priefiley obferves, that before I admitted that the iron Recapitulation 

 or its calx, raifed to a high temperature, could decompofe the ° "* e e -*pen- 

 carbonic acid in this experiment, I fhould have tried whether carbonic acid gas 

 it would do it in any other. This remark clearly proves that P affe , d . over '£*" 



meed iron <t, ivc 



he had not feen the fecond effay on the gafeous oxide, &c. in oxigen to the 

 your Journal for the month of Augufi, in which a procefs is metal, and was 



. / m i i i • " • i • i c i • r itfelf converted 



delcnbed, where this acid is decompoled, even in its galeous int0 carDOn i c ox- 

 form, by palling it repeatedly through a red T hot iron tube filled We. 



in 



