POO ONTHENATUBKOF OXIHU^LAT^C 4pi9„ 



f:asses into car- when the proper proportions of the two gashes we^^ i^^^ 



^.^"j*^*",^ "^"" there was found to be a complete con version o^' the w|j49Jp 

 into carbonic and muriatic acid gas. In ;fn.s\(ver to t|\i8> 



notal\vay« objection it is only necessary to qbserve, that jj[, haj;eiC4f4?f; 



the fact. fully repeated sorue of these experimental ,ipnji^lvii,ig t^e^detQ- 



nations over recently boiled mercury, and never obtain^4 

 carbonic acid gas though oximuriatic gas in great escesjj ;rtcUS 

 employed. No regard wj^s paid to the influence of ,vvi)i^er 

 by the original author, tlierefore nothing can be inferred 

 from the experiments of Cruickshank, but what is, perfectly 

 agreeable to Mr. Davy's theory* The j)resence 9f water 

 is neglected by Mr. Murray : to him the only cause of auv? 

 "biguity in the result appears to arise from tli? sfpa^ll .pojjtio^^ 

 of oxigen, vrhich he supposes these gasses contain, and frofll 

 Tvhich carbonic acid gas n^ust be formed, wiien the hidr<}gen 

 is separated by oximuriatic gas. >98Iki 



Action of oxi- To avoid this source of ambiguify he^ has had r^ course to 



munatic gas carbonic oxide. He has repeated the experiment of Mv. 

 en caroonic ^ . . . . ■ ' , . 



oxide Cruickshank on the action of oximunaty; gas pn. this com- 



pound, and has confirmed his results. He has veyy satis- 

 factorily proved, that no change takes pW e iu the ,tw;0 

 gasses when water is entirely excluded ; and that, wjthoiit 

 the agency of water, no carbonic or mt^-itjitjc acid .g^^i^Js 

 formed. The conclusion he draws frpiQ this, fiiptj; J* liflc 

 favour of the old hypothesis. He takes it for granted, rthi^t 

 ** water is not decomposed by oximuriatic gas:" oxigen 

 therefore he observes can only be »fForded to ].hp j^jjrbonic 

 oxide to convert it into carbonic acid by the decomposition 

 of the oximuriatic gas. It appears to me, that, even on 

 Mr. Murray's own statement, his conclusion is gratuitous, 

 an insufficieut It is not sufficient for his purpose to prove, that some car^, 

 proof, bonic acid is formed, but that the whole of the carbonic oxidtsf 



•inceitmay is converted into this acid. For there is no improbability 

 bemherwise jj, the supposition, that some carbonic acid might be pra^> 

 * duced by the formation of a triple compound of oximnriatie^w 

 acid, hidrogen, and carbon. The oil resulting from the 

 union of oximuriatic gas and olefiant gas i& a substance Qf , 

 thi^ kind ; and we know qf several analogous caseft in chci?^ 

 inistry. Ir>dependent of what has been just said, have iveu. 

 not the most indubitable evidences of the decoffUJoaition of i 



water 



