ON THE NATURE OP OlLIMURIATIC ACID. J^ff 



merely transmitted through water into the bottle, tUe 

 small quantity of water diffused through them, and ad- 

 hering to tiie olass, being sufficient to promote their mutual 

 action. 



The rationale of both experiments is obvious. The cir- This readily 



cumstance of there beins no mutual action in the first ex- accounted for 

 Ml 11 PI by ihe com- 



periment must be ascribed to the absence ot that water nion iheory, 



essential to the constitution of inuriatic acid. In the second 

 experiment this is supplied ; hence the transfer of the oxi- 

 gen from the oximuriatic acid, and the consequent forma- 

 tion of muriatic and carbonic acids. But they do not but not by Mr. 

 appear to admit of an equally satisfactory explanation on I^^^y'** -i 

 Mr. I>avy*s hypothesis. For the peculiarity that carbonic 

 oxide suffers no change in the first experiment no cause 

 can be assigned, but that oximuriatic acid has no tendency 

 to combine with carbonic oxide or its base; and this is an 

 evident anomaly on the assumption^ that oximufidtic acid 

 is a principle exerting like oxigen powerful affinities to in- ^ 



flammable bodies. To account for the agency of the water 

 in the second experiment it must be supposed, that it 

 suffers decomposition, affording hidrogen to the oximuriatic 

 acid, and oxigen to the carbonic oxide. But there are no 

 just grounds, whence this can be inferred. Water is not 

 decomposed by oximuriatic acid gas, or by carbonic oxide 

 gas ; there is no reason to conclude, that its decomposition 

 can be effected by their action when they are presented to 

 it merely in a niixed state; and the more obvious operation 

 may be regarded as the real one, that it acts by its affinity 

 to muriatic acid. 



But even this source of ambiguity I supposed might be . 



obviated by making the experiment under another form. I tending farther 



mixed toi>etber one measure of carbonic oxide gas, one mea- ^° obviate the 



n . ^, . . 1 *,. n • ambiguity. 



sure of hidrot^en pas, and two measures and a halt of oxiinu- „.j 



\ • 1 1 • 1 J • Hidrogen mix- 



riatic acid gas, each previously having been exposed to muri- ed wiiii the 



ate of lime, and introduced them into ajar in the same man- ^'^v gas-»es pro- 



.< ', rt . rr»i • /• L • moted their 



ner as in the first experiment. 1 he green tinge of the oximu- decompoii- 



riatic acid gas gradually disappeared, and after two hours '^ion> 



exposure to clenr day light was not apparent. On opening 



the jar after 24 hours under quicksilver, a diminution of 



volume, less as the gasses had been completely dried, was in- 



VoL. XXVUl. Feb. 1811. L cheated 



