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ON THE H ATURE OF OXIMURIATIC ACID. • £05 



me, to deqaou^trate, that, if muriatic acid gas does con- 

 tain water, the pvoportion is not variable, but uniformly 

 thfe SSrtri^ J that the *m£illiest quantity cannot be abstracted 

 witfk)ut detjtroyinfij the gas, and cannot be added without 

 condensing it and forming liquid muriatic acid. In the 

 giv<m i'hstance the hidrogen combines with the okirauriatic 

 gas,' forming comrfion muriatic gas, a compound according 

 to hypothesis of muriatic acid and water; there is no super- 

 fluous water produced, only the exact proportion necessary 

 to render the acid <^aseou8 : it is impos«ib1e, therefore, that 

 the other part of the muriatic acid, which surrenders it/ 

 oxigen to the gnseous oxide of carbon to form carbonic? 

 acid gas, can become gaseous; water is necessary for thisr 

 4barig£i^.fti)d no water, but th«t confined in th« rturiafit 

 acid gas already formed, is present. Yet it does beromie^ 

 according to the expt^riment, muriatic acid gas, which is a 

 coutradiction, and by itself amounts to a proof of the 

 inaccuracy of the hypothesis. 



Mr. Dalton, in the second part of his *' System of Che- Mr. Dalton 



mica! Philosophy," adheres to the old opinion of oximu- *f!'^'^' '^ *''• 



. . . . .old system, 



riatjc gas being a compound of muriatic gas and oxigen. 



In this respect he agrees with Mr. Murray; but his ideas buthis Weas 

 concernin"; muriatic acid eas are very different from those "^""'^^l^- 

 of the latter gentleman. According to Mr. Dalton, muri- from Mr. 

 atip acid gas itself is a simple body, containing no water, ^^^^^^f^' 

 To account for the hidrogen produced when potassium His sMpposi- 

 and sodium are heated in this gas, he supposes, that these ^'°" 

 metals are compounds, that they consist of the tixed 

 alkalis united respectively to hidrogen, which hidro- 

 gen is liberated, when muriate of potash and soda are 

 made in the circumstances just mentioned, I cannot pre- 

 tend to say, v/hether, when he adopted this hypothesis, he 

 ^as aware of its consequences ; whether he was acquainted ' .,. 



with the fact, that there is no singularity attending the 

 action of the metals of the alkalis on muriatic acid gas, 

 and that tin, zinc, iron, and mercury, produce u similar 

 separation of hidrogen from it. The necessary conse- 

 quence of this view, if followed fairly, to its full extent, 

 is^theadoptioo of the doctrine of phlogiston^ It is not my leads ic. rhe 

 Mii^^jti^}^^)Lj),fjiac^4h« merit': of Mr. DullOu's speculations renvJ yi ibt 

 tmyy iuofi:r*r 3)s1js tii: I mention 



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