ig^ ON THE NATURE OF OXIMURIATIC ACID. 



be deemed are to be considered as simple substances. In this respect 



simple. j.|^g lihlogistic priiicipaliy diilers from the antiphlogistic 



J^wn'the ^"^ ^octrioe: the former is hj'^p6thetieal,.the latter theoretf^af. 



phlo^i^tic and The plilof^i*itic hypothesis in its most pc'rfect foVnij as ad- 



antiphlo^istic y^y^^^^ by Mr. Cavendish, could not be confuted: itwassim-- 

 doctrme. / 



pie, luminous, and perfectly well adapted to explain all the 



^. phenomena of chemistry ; but it was still an hypothesis. The- 



DifFerence be- ory is a history of generalisation and facts, hypothesis is a se- 

 and'^h '-mh7 ^'^^ ^^ suppositions. Mr. Murray does not observe thisdis- 

 sis. tiftction, he makes promiscuous use of the two words. 



Sometimes he speaks of the theory, and at other tirti^s of' 

 the hypothesis of Mr. Davy. I think it necessary to point 

 out what to me appeared a loose mode of expression. It is 

 of main importance, that expressions of facts be iiot mis- 

 represented. It is of great consequence, that things be 

 hot termed notions— that theory be not considered as spe- 

 culation. 

 Mr Davy's Before I examine the objections of Mr. Murray to Mr. 



r^"^hypoiheti- ^^^v'^ conclusions, I shall endeavour to show, that these 

 ca!. conclusions are not tainted by the slightest admixture of 



hypothesis. With this object in view I beg leave to reca- 

 pitulate a few leading circumstahces. 

 Formation of IMuriatic acid gas is formed by detonating together equal 



muriatic acid volumes of oximuriatic gas and hidroo-eu aas ; anfl, if the 



gas from oxi- . . ,11 ■ ^ 



muriatic and experiment is correctly made, there is no condentation at- 



hidrogen. tending their union*. ^ 



Metals form The metals combine immediately with oximuriatic gSs, 



peculiar com- and form with it a peculiar class of compounds, many of 



oximurirtfc ^^^^^^ *^G decomposeti by water; and when this occurs, a 



gas; metallic oxide and muriatic ayid ^as are always produced. 



and the same When the metals of the fixed alkalis, or the common 



compounds metals, mercury, iron, tin, and zinc, are heated in muri- 

 wiih muriatic - . , , '1*1 1 1 t<> ,- 1 1 



acid gas, hi- »itic acid gas, hiorogen gas equal to one halt of the volume 



drogen being of theacid gas consumed appears free, and substances are pro- 

 duced exactly similar to those formed by the direct union of 

 The quantity ^^e same metals with oximuriatic acid. In these experiments 



of hidrogrn there is no difference in the proportion of hidrogen eras li* 

 Plot at all at- ^ ^ ^ Z' 



♦ I have, seen this experiment mad* a, number of titles, in vess^els 



ikat had been eartiausted, and over mercurr, and with similar results. 



berated 



