J^4f ^* ^^^ NATURE OF OXIMURIATIC AtlD. 



being decQm* tion of it adhered to the sides of the jar, and Corttinuing i<» 

 ^^ act on the acid mij^ht counteract any action on the carbonic 



oxide. To avoid this, the mixed gasses wer6 introduced 

 into a caoutchouc bottle connected by a tube and stop-cock 

 with a jar containing dry mercury. On turning the stop-^ 

 CQck, and suddenly campressing the elastic bottle, the gas 

 descended into the jar, and depressed the mercury without 

 acting upon it, this action being prevented still more 

 effectually by a little pure carbonic oxide having been pre- 

 viously introduced into the jar. The stop-cock being shut, 

 and the jar being also closed at the bottom, the mixed gasses 

 were allowed to stand 24 hours. At the end of this time 

 the green tinge of the oximuriatic acid gas was perfectly 

 apparent; the stop-cock being turned under quicksilver, a 

 vei'y slight diminution of volume, not exceeding fV of the 

 wbole mixture was indicated by the entrance of a portion of 

 quicksilver equivalent to this. On transferring to water, 

 there vras no immediate absorption, but the oximuriatic 

 ucid gas was gradually condensed. The residual gas was 

 then transmitted through lime water in a long narrow 

 tube, it communicated a milkiness to the surface, so slight 

 »s to be barely perceptible ; this was removed on agitation, 

 and did not appear on a second or third transmission. The 

 vesidual air was found to be carbonic oxide, both by the test 

 of oximuriatic acid aided by water, and by being converted 

 by combustion into carbonic acid. In this experiment then 

 the carbonic oxide had scarcely been acted on by the oxi- 

 muriatic acid, and the very minute quantity of carbonic 

 acid that appeared to be formed must be regarded as owing 

 its origin to the impracticability of abstracting water en- 

 tirely from the gasses, or to the presence of a small propor- 

 tion ofhidrogen in the carbonic oxide, 

 but they were I now mixed carbonic oxide and oximuriatic acid in the 



decomposed gaj^ie proportions as in the precediner experiment, and al- 

 jn this time, , ,. , • • i , , ^ • • 



if a little water lowed a little water to remam m the bottle. On opemngit 



were admitted, under water after 24 hours, the carbonic oxide was found to 

 merely passed be converted into carbonic acid, and the oximuriatic acid into 

 through water, muriatic acid, so that after agitation with lime water to absorb 

 the former, scarcely any sensible quantity of elastic fluid re- 

 mained. The same result was obtained when the gasses were 



merely 



