PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 343 



ted by other bodies that are not alcaline, 

 fome by plain v/ater, feme by neutral 

 falts, natural or artificial ; fome by an- 

 other metal, fome by another acid liquor j 

 and laftly, fome of thefe folutions may 

 be precipitated in two or three different 

 ways ; of all which I fhall give inflances 

 afterwards. But further, acid and alca- 

 line liquors are not the only folvents; for 

 water, ardent fpirits, oils, and feveral com- 

 pound liquors, neither acid nor alcaline, 

 diffolve a great many different bodies, 

 which likeways may be feparated from 

 them by precipitants of different quali- 

 ties. Therefore an acid and alcali do not 

 always concur to make a precipitation. 

 ' II, The weakening or diluting folu- 

 tions, by a liquor fpecifically lighter than 

 the folvent, is not the fole caufe of preci- 

 pitation. 



Some, -v^ho would account for precipi- 

 tations upon mechanical principles, con- 

 tend, that diminifliing the fpecific gravity 

 of the folvent I'iquors is the caufe of all 

 precipitations : But this, although it ob- 

 tams in fome inflances, yet, in many 



more. 



