346 EXPERIMENTS ON THE RELATION 
lent matter, like magnesia, were obtained. These being heat- 
ed for some time in a platina capsule, on a sand bath, to a 
temperature just under sublimation, lost exactly half a grain. 
The salt was found perfectly neutral by litmus paper. 
Twenty grains of this hot and dry salt, were pressed down 
to the sealed end of a green glass tube ; and 120 grains of pure 
iron turnings being put over them, the former arrangement of 
furnace, communicating tube, and mercurial trough, was adopt- 
ed. After some hours of careful igneous decomposition, about 
three grains of liquid were obtained. A similar portion of 
muriatic acid gas, to what is formerly stated, was evolved, 
along with the gaseous elements of ammonia. Thus I conceive 
the second objection to be done away. 
To place the identity of the two differently prepared salts, 
in the clearest light, I shall state one additional experiment. 
I took 5 gr. of that made by gaseous combination, and 5 gr. of 
the common kind, both well dried, and dissolving them in wa- 
ter, precipitated the whole of their acid, by nitrate of silver. 
The gently ignited muriate of silver, obtained from each, was 
almost exactly equal; the minute fractional difference, being 
an excess on the side of the ordinary sal ammoniac. Hence 
we see, that the latter contains as much acid, and consequent- 
ly as little of the base or ammoniacal hydrate, (as we may now 
term it), as the former. 
Doctor Murray, in the able critique which he has given, in 
his valuable System of Chemistry, on the chloridic hypothesis, 
adduces some experiments of his own, which he conceives 
establish the opposite, or oxymuriatic doctrine. They consist- 
ed in procuring by heat a visible portion of aqueous. matter, 
from the saline compound of ammoniacal and muriatic acid 
gases, 
