ON THE NATURE OF OXIMURIATIC ACID. }g$ 



remarked, that the oKide was covered with a crust of yellow 

 oxide, while another part was m the btate of black oxide. 



The great Tarlatiou in the weight of the oxide obtained These exptri* 

 by this method, and the observation of yellow oxide formed a^^Q^nJ ^ 

 on its surface, show, that nothing can be dednced from ex- 

 periments of the kind, 



Lefebvre, Stoutz, and myself, when in Carinthia, satis- Water assisted 

 fied ourselves, that red hot iron immersed in water decoiii* ^ "* 

 posed it ; the iron being oxided, and hidrogen evolved*. 

 The illustrious Lavoisier, taking the hint from this experi- *^*^^^''*^* 

 mentj heated little bits of iron twisted spirally in a copper 

 tube, and passed the vapour of water through them while 

 red hot. The water was decomposed, and the iron oxided. 

 The iron had increased in weight 31*38 per cent. The hi*» 

 drogen gas, which he collected and weighed, was found to 

 be in the proper proportion for forming water with the oxi- 

 gen combinedf . 



Bucholz, repeating the experiment of Lavoisier by pass- Buchtlz. 

 ing the vapour ol' water through iron filings heated red hot 

 in a close vessel, obtained a black oxide containing 76*7 of 

 iron and 23-3 of oxigen. 



The result obtained by Lavoisier appears accurate, and 

 that of Bucholz rather too low. It is to be regretted that 

 this process was not oftener repeated, but I shall notice this 

 rt^sult again, when recapitulating those that may be consi- 

 dered as accurate. 



fTo be concluded in our next. J 



V. 



Some Remarks on the Ohservaiions and Experiments of Mr, 

 Murray on the Nature of Oximuriatic Acid, and Us Reld* 

 (ions to Muriatic Acid, By Mr. John i)AVY, 



I 



To Mr. NICHOLSON. 

 SIR, 



T is generally admitted as a furtdamerttal priAcipTe of Substaflcwfiof 

 modern chemistry, that all bodies not yet decompounded '^'^'"**^*'^ ** 



• Mem deTAcad. des Scieiices, 1781, p. 475. 

 t Traite *l6m. de Chim. torn. I, p. 92 arid fol. 



Vol. XXVIIL—Mar. 1811. O «re 



