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Observations on the Existence of Chlorine in the Native Per^ 

 oxide of Manganese, S^c, By Robert John Kane, Esq. 



Having, in some late numbers of your valuable Journal, 

 observed some papers on the existence of chlorine in the 

 native oxide of manganese, by Mr. John Mac Mullen, I was 

 struck by the extraordinary inferences which that gentleman 

 deduced from, in my opinion, very inefficient data. However, 

 owing to numerous other avocations, I was unable at that time 

 to give the subject the attention it deserved. 



T have been now induced to present the following observa- 

 tions on that subject, in consequence of some experiments, the 

 results of which tend, at least, to shed some light on the causes 

 of the phenomena observed by Mr Mac Mullen. 



Having had occasion since the publication of his paper 

 to execute an analysis of the impure nitrate of potassa, used 

 in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, and finding muriate of 

 soda present to a considerable amount, I was led to suspect 

 the existence of hydro-chloric acid in oil of vitriol, from the 

 probability that as, in the theory of the production of the latter 

 substance, a portion of the sulphur being acidified, decomposed 

 a quantity of nitrate of potassa, and as the nitre contained 

 muriate of soda, we may infer a priori that a quantity of 

 muriatic acid would be eliminated at the same time, and 

 would be absorbed by the water. 



To verify these ideas, I made some attempts to ascertain 

 the presence of hydrochloric acid in the sulphuric acid of 

 commerce, and after some trials, I found the following process 

 to answer perfectly. 



A portion of the sulphuric acid of commerce perfectly clear, 

 being dikited with twice its weight of water*, was filtered 

 through powdered quartz to separate the sulphate of lead 

 precipitated. It was then neutralized by pure bi-carbonate of 

 potassa (prepared by decomposing cream of tartar, and passing 

 carbonic acid through the solution of the carbonate thus 

 obtained) — a large quantity of sulphate of potassa was deposited 



* We deem it almost unnecessary to mention that the water used in 

 this and in other experiments was distilled, 



