jB$ B\RTTtC SALTS DEfOMPOSED BY SODA, 



al>ove, they produced nothing but veiy pure carbonate of 

 barj-tes, aud not an atom of acetate. If the mother water 

 be farther examined with sulphuric acid, or alkaline carbo- 

 nates, it will immediately appear, tliat it contains but little 

 barytes and a great deal of acetous acid ; which becomes 

 still more sensible, if it be evaporated to dryness, and the 

 residuum be redissolved in distilled water : for this solution 

 does not contain an atom of barytes, but merely acetate of 

 soda, the little barjtes that was present being reduced to the 

 state of a carbonate during the evaporation. 

 Barytes does Hence it follows, that barytes does not decompose acetate 

 acetate of soda. ^^^'^^^ J ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ contrar}^, that, if we try the opposite 

 experiment, it will succeed. In fact the whole of the ace- 

 tate of barj^tes may be decomposed, by adding to it a suffi- 

 cient quantity of pure soda to saturate all the acetous acid. 

 The barytes contained in the phial accompanying my letter 

 was prepared in this way. 



My object is not to invalidate the conclusion of Mr. Per- 

 peres, which appears to me just, and consistent with what 

 was already known. I only criticise one of the proofs he 

 Potash and l^as adduced, and avail myself of this opportunity, to remind 

 soda have ^jj^ public, that in the year 12 a paper on the affinities of 

 stronger affim- i -m/r . o i m. . i • i . 



ties than ba- barytes, by Mr. Antrye and rayseli, was inserted m the An- 



rytes for all nales de Chimie ; where we proved, that in the classification 

 cept the sul- ^^ alkalis barytes ought to be placed before potash and soda 

 ph uric and only with respect to the sulphuric and carbonic acids, the 

 affinities of potash and soda being superior in every other 

 case. How is it, that, notwithstanding the facts so posi- 

 tively announced in that paper, different authors have re- 

 tained the ancient order of affinity assigned to barytes ? It 

 appears to me, that, with regard to experiments, either the 

 results of such as are made public should he adopted ; or 

 they should be refuted, by repeating them, and proving their 

 erroneousness. 



I shall conclude this note by citing in confirmation one of 



the processes, the goodness of which has been proved by our 



labours on barytes in the large way. It follows naturally 



from the facts mentioned above. 



This theory The decomposition of muriate, nitrate, and acetate of 



applied to the barytes by potash or soda is so complete and easy, that it 



