288 Mr. Kane on the Existence of 



it might be concluded to exist in the combination. That it 

 should be either the muriate of the oxide or chloride of the 

 metal^ seems highly improbable, from the single circumstance 

 that oxygen gas is abundantly obtained by heat. A further 

 consideration of this last-mentioned circumstance ultimately 

 suggested to me that view of the subject which, after the most 

 minute and anxious investigation, I have been led to adopt, 

 namely, that chlorine exists in the native oxide of manganese, 

 as chloric acid, and that the mineral is in part a chlorate of 

 manganese." 



Mr. Mac Mullen infers that if the muriate of iron, of copper, 

 or of lead had been present, they would have been removed by 

 washing ; that if muriate or chloride of manganese (between 

 which substances Mr. Mac Mullen seems to make some dis- 

 tinction) had existed, the ore would not have given out oxygen*. 

 Now I ask Mr. Mac Mullen, whether a degree of washing 

 sufficient to remove muriate of lead, would leave any muriate 

 of manganese behind ? It is quite unnecessary to answer this 

 question. Even if Mr. Mac Mullen had not made the experi- 

 ment, any table of salts would have informed him of their 

 relative solubility. I next would inquire how the presence of 

 a very small quantity of chloride of manganese could prevent 

 the production of oxygen from the peroxide ? When chlorate 

 of potash is decomposed by heat, does the chloride of potas- 

 sium which is formed from the instant the first bubble of oxygen 

 comes over, prevent the further decomposition of the chlorate.^ 



Laying aside the total inaccuracy of Mr. Mac Mullen's state- 

 ments, and supposing with him that the mineral cannot contain 

 the chlorides of iron, lead, copper, or of manganese, he next 

 says, that since these do not exist in it, the ore must contain 

 chloric acid, because it gives out chlorine on the addition of 

 sulphuric acid. Now does Mr. Mac Mullen say that a chlorate 

 decomposed by sulphuric acid gives out chlorine ? As he quotes 

 Dr. Ure occasionally, I shall refer to his work. If Mr. Mac 

 Mullen had attended to the article *' Chloric Oxide," he, I am 

 certain, would not have advanced such a statement. 



* Even if chlorate of manganese had existed, would not the washing 

 remove it? The chlorate of potash will not precipitate any metallic 

 solution. 



