306 ®^ ''f**^ HATVRE OF OXIM13J11ATIC ACI». 



readers what were the actual results. The hidpogen must of 

 course have been removed by the action of the oximuriatic 

 acid: What became of the carbon ? Was it precipitated in 

 the state of charcoal ? Or did it remain in the state of car- 

 bonic oxide? Ordid the passes form a ternary comhin^ation ? 

 and how was the absence of carbonic acid established ? Yet 

 with all these deticiencies a result thus generally stated is 

 brought forward in opposition to experiments minutely de- 

 tailed. Neither does he deny the formation of carbonic acid 

 in my experiment of submitting carbonic oxide, hidrogen 

 and oximuriatic gasses to mutual action: he supposes its 

 formation owing to the presence of atmospheric air, as I 

 have already stated, or to the introduction of water after 

 the experiment ; the gratuitous ussumption being mnde af 

 the formation of a triple compound of carbonic oxide, hidro- 

 gen, and oximuriatic acid, by which this water would be de-» 

 composed. Hence, in the experiment made in conjunction 

 with his brother, ammonia was used instead of water to ab- 

 sorb the muriatic acid, and it is inferred, that no carbonic 

 acid was formed. It is sinj^^ular however, that no attempt 

 appears to have been made to discover this acid, its non- 

 formation is inferred from the gas which remained after ex- 

 posure to water burning with the saT?e coloured flame as 

 carbonic oxide, whence it is concluded to have been this 

 gas, with the intermixture of nitrogen from the ammo- 

 nia, its volume being admitted t© be different from that of 

 the carbonic oxide employed ; and this negative result, open 

 to such obvious fallacies, is placed in opposition to the posi- 

 tive production of carbonic acid in my experiments. Lastly, 

 after all these experiments made without carbonic acid 

 being obtained, and after the labour bestowed in endeavour- 

 ingto prove experimentsin which it was produced inaccurate, 

 or to account otherwife for their results, a gas is discovered 

 (the discovery of it is mentioned in a note, it having beea 

 made after Mr. J. Davy's pnper was written) which it is 

 admitted is capable of converting carbonic oxide into carbo- 

 nic acid, and which is procured from the same materials as 

 oximuriatic acid, and by a process apparently not much dif- 

 ferent from that which is usually followed. 

 Action of hi- There remains one point to which it is necessary to give 

 nislVde, and some consideration. Mr- Davy gives a reason why, as he 



supposes^ 



