35S Researches on the muriatic Acid 



tion so rapid, as that of oxymuriatic acid upon metals and 

 inflammable bodies. 



It may be said, that a strong argument in favour of the 

 hypothesis, that oxymuriatic acid consists of an acid basis 

 united to oxygen, exists in the general analogy of the com- 

 pounds of oxymuriatic acid, and metals, to the common 

 neutral salts : but this analogy, when strictly investigated, 

 will be found to be very indistinct ; and even allowing it, it 

 may be applied with as much force to support an opposite 

 doctrine, namely, that the neutral salts are compounds of 

 bases with water, and the metals of bases with hydrogen ; 

 and that, in the case of the action of oxymuriatic acid and 

 metals, the metal furnishes hydrogen to form muriatic acid, 

 and a basis to produce the neutral combination. 



That the quantity of hydrogen evolved during the decom- 

 position of muriatic acid gas by metals, is the same that 

 would be produced during the decomposition of water by the 

 Same bodies, appears, at first view, an evidence in favour of 

 the existence of water in muriatic acid gas; but as there is 

 only one known combination of hydrogen with oxymuriatic 

 acid, one quantity must always be separated. Hydrogen is 

 disengaged from its oxymuriatic combination, by a metal, 

 in the same manner as one metal is disengaged by another 

 from similar combinations; and of all inflammable bodies 

 that form compounds^of this kind, except perhaps phos- 

 phorus and sulphur, hydrogen is that which seems to ad- 

 here to oxymuriatic acid with the lesat force. 



I have caused strong explosions from an electrical jar to 

 pass through oxymuriatic gas, by means of points of pla- 

 tina, for several hours in succession; but it seemed not to 

 undergo the slightest change. 



I electrized the oxymuriates of phosphorus and sulphur 

 for some hours, by the power of the Voltaic apparatus of 

 1000 double plates : no gas separated, but a minute quan- 

 tity of hydrogen, which I am inclined to attribute to the 

 presence of moisture in the apparatus employed ; for I once 

 obtained hydrogen from Libavius's liquor by a similar ope- 

 ration : but I have ascertained that this was owing to the 

 decomposition of water adhering to the mercury ; and in 

 some late experiments made with 2000 double plates, in 

 which the discharge was from platina wires, and in which 

 the mercury used for confining the liquor was carefully 

 boiled, there was no production of any permanent elastic 

 matter. 



As there are no experimental evidences of the existence 



of 



