340 Mr. jR. PhiUips on [Nov. 



son in considering the crystallized salt as mere chloride of 

 barium. This, he observes, "may be obtained by heating 

 baryta in chlorine, in which case oxygen is evolved ; or more 

 easily by dissolving carbonate of baryta in diluted muriatic acid. 

 By evaporation, tabular crystals are obtained, soluble in five 

 parts or water at 60° ; and consisting when dry of 60 barium + 

 33*5 chlorine = 98*5. Its taste is pungent and acrid; when 

 exposed to heat, the water of crystallization separates, and the 

 dry chloride enters into fusion." It is to be observed, that while 

 Mr. Brande admits the existence of water of crystalHzation in 

 this salt, he neither states its quantity, nor makes any observa- 

 tion as to the effect which it may produce in the theoretic views 

 of the nature of the salt. On referring to the table of equiva- 

 lents contained in the second volume of the Manual, p. 512, and 

 to that which Mr. Brande has since pubhshed in the 14th 

 volume of the Royal Institution Journal, I do not find any 

 mention of muriate ofbarytes, or of the quantity of water which 

 the crystallized chloride, allowing it to be such, contains. 



Dr. Ure, in the second edition of his Dictionary, mentions the 

 muriate of barytes as crystaUized in tables; and although he 

 calls it a muriate, he states its composition as a chloride, con- 

 sisting of 4*5 chlorine -f 8*75 barium. 



No mention of muriate of barytes is made by Dr. Henry, in 

 his Elements of Chemistry, excepting under the head of 

 chloride of barium ; and like the previously quoted authorities, 

 he appears to consider the crystallized tabular salt as chloride ; 

 but does not mention the existence of any water in it. * " The 

 dry salt," he observes, " Sir H. Davy considers as a compound 

 of 1 atom of barium = 70 + 1 atom of chlorine = 36 ; nence 

 its representative number is 106, and it consists of 



Chlorine 34 



Barium •••••• 66 



Too 



" Muriate of baryta, formed by the action of water on the 

 chloride, must therefore be constituted of 1 atom of muriatic 

 acid = 37, -f 1 atom of baryta = 78, and its equivalent must 

 be 1 15. Hence it should consist, when crystallized, of 



Acid. 27-82 =» 1 atom 



Baryta 58-47 = 1 atom 



Water 13-71 = 2 atoms 



100-00 



" These numbers do not exactly agree with the experimental 

 results of Aikin and Berzehus, which state its composition as 

 follows ; 



