g2g O^ SOytE CHEMICAL AGENCIES OF ELECTRICITT. 



Changes pro- The alkaline proporties of the fluid in the other lube, on 

 tHciiy in wa^t«r. *^® ^°^*^^^'5 remained stationary, and at the end of the 

 time, it did not act upon litmus or turmeric paper more 

 than in the first trial: the effect was less vivid after it had 

 been strongly heated for a minute ; but evaporation and the 

 usual process proved that gome fixed alkali was present. 

 The acid, as far as its properties were examined, agreed 

 with pure nitrous acid, having an excess of nitrous gas. ^ 

 I repeated the experiment, and carried on the process for 

 three days ; at the end of which time the water in the tube 

 was decomposed and evaporated to more than one half of its 

 original quantity; the acid was strong, but the alkali in as 

 minute a portion as in the last experiment. It acted indeed 

 rather more vividly on the tests, on account of the greater 

 diminution of the fluid, but presented the same results after 

 being heated. , 



It was now impossible to doubt, that the water contained 

 some substancein very minute quantities, capable of causing 

 the appearance of fixed alkali, but which was soon ex- 

 hausted; and the question that immediately presented itself 

 was. Is this substance saline matter carried over in distilla- 

 tion ? or is it nitrogen gas, which exists in minute portions 

 in all water that has been exposed to air, and which, if an 

 element of the fixed alkali, would under the circumstance 

 ^f the experiment have been soon exhausted, whilst its ab- 

 sorption from the atmosphere would be impeded by the sa- 

 turation of the water with hydrogen? 



i was much more inclined to the former than to the latter 

 supposition. I evaporated a quart of the distilled water that 

 I had used, very slowly at a heat below 140^ Fahrenheit, 

 ih a silver still; a solid matter remained, equal to -/^ of a 

 grain; this matter had a saline but metallic taste, and was 

 deliquescent vvhen exposed to air : I could not obtain from 

 it regular crystals; it did not afFect turmeric or litmus, but a 

 part of it, after being heated red, in a silver crucible, ex- 

 hibited strong alkaline properties. It M'as not possible to 

 make a minute analysis of so small a quantity, but it ap- 

 peared to me to be principally a mixture of nitrate of soda 

 d iiitrate of lead ; and the metallic substance, it is most 



t 



Ikely, was furnislK-d by the condensing tiibe of the com- 



fiihh still, 



The 



