ON THE NATURE OF OXIMURIATIC ACID. ^(y^ 



supposes, the presence of hidrogen cannot, even on the hypo- oximuriatic 

 pothesis I maintain, favour the conversion of carbonic oxide *"^- 

 into carbonic acid by oximuriatic acid. In submittinti^ these 

 three gasses to mutual action, thehidrogen, in combining with 

 oxigen from the oximuriatic, can form ao more water than is 

 required to the constitution of that portion of muriatic acid 

 with which this oxigen had been combined, and hence there 

 is no superfluous water to be afforded to that portion of mu- 

 riatic acid, which remains to be formed in the oxigenation of 

 the carbonic oxide by the remaining oximuriatic acid. ** It 

 is impossible therefore," says Mr. J. Davy (in the style 

 which he permits himself to use) ♦* that the latter portion of 

 muriatic acid can become gaseous ; yet it does be- 

 come, according to the experiment, muriatic acid gas, which 

 is a contradiction, and by itself a proof of the innaeuracy 

 of the hypothesis," 



This objection- had occurred to me, and I had stated it as 

 well as the solution of it to iome of my friends. Of course 

 however, a difficulty of this nature could not be urged 

 against the fact, that the conversion of carbonic oxide into 

 carbonic acid, which does not happen when oximuriatic gas 

 alone is added to the former gas, takes place when there i» 

 an addition of hidrogen. And as farther the difficulty ap- 

 peared to me capable of being solved, I thought it unneces- 

 sary to add to the length of my paper by taking notice of it. 

 It is explained, I conceive, in the followidg manner. Muri- Ex})lanation 

 atic acid gas may be formed with a less proportion of water ^ulty^ ' 

 than is necessary to its full saturation ; the proof of its exis- 

 tence with an inferior proportion of water to what it contains 

 at its first disengagement in the usual process for obtaining 

 it I have already stated, and there is nothing improbable in 

 the supposition, that it may exist gaseous with even less 

 water than can be Inferred from that proof. And in all elas- 

 tic fluids small portions of water I believe exist, of which it 

 is probably impossible to deprive them entirely. When a 

 mixture, therefore, of carbonic oxide, hidrogen, and oximu- 

 jratic acid gasses is submitted to mutual action, the hidro- 

 gen attracting oxigen from the oximuriatic acid, and forming 

 with it a portion of water, this water may favour the pro- 

 duction of a larger quantity of muriatic acid, tiian the quan- 

 tity merely with which that oxigen had been combined, if 

 X 2 any 



