552 



Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



[Oct. I 



Nor impotent her cries, for Britain's train, 

 lm>jcnoiis lindsol" Uceaii^ wide domain, 

 V itii ea.i,lt-rwiltnfls to hft- aid retort. 

 And (leer her liiiliing veffel fate to port. 



The tint- grow pale, the ftrong illufion flies. 

 Yet fill I, ni",,s, Mielhniks yon wcftpriHkies 

 Frown r n It.iliaN (i,(>r(.-s ; — ii:y n;iUve ciime, 

 O heed thy poet, and repent in time! 



Man's utmoft force, oppos'd to heil-bnra 



might, 

 Full oft is baffled in th' unequal fight: 

 One arm alone to coiiqner never tails ; 

 One arm alone o'er Fate herfelf prevails; 

 TurTi to lliv God. nn his fui) lort rely; 

 Aided by f-'im, thou niav'fttlx world defy} 

 ■ ^is pow'r aloni- can vancji i(h Satan's plan. 

 And (.hange each Oallic moufter back to maiv 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



NATIONAL INSTITUTE. 

 tEMAEKS on the decompo^jtion qfmv- 



EIATE of SODA, by OXIDE of LEAD. 

 Prijcilttd to the -NAIIOXAL INSIITT'TE 

 in if^S lllji bITTIKG, by CITIZEN VAL- 

 QUELIN. 



CIU MiSTS n^Tce that the oxide of 

 li.:ia (leconipofLS the muriate of fo- 

 da, ; Lut tlie manner in wLich this de- 

 compi.fition is eftected has never been 

 •fr.tisfaoiorily exi)i;uned. All thole who 

 Lave alteinpted it have been led into a 

 iTiauifeft coi)tr;idi<''lion. The I'uperior af- 

 finity of the oxide of lead for the muria- 

 tic acid, which has been conlidered by 

 fome as fniHcicat to folvc the difficulty, 

 is deftroyod by the dccompoUtion of the 

 muriate of lead by means of cauftic i~o- 

 da ; that of the carbonic acid, contained 

 in the litharge, to which recourfe has 

 been had, is equally prevented by the 

 complete inaction of the carbonate of 

 lead upon the fea-falt, and by the mini- 

 um, which contains little of that acid, 

 which, howe\er, decompofes alfo the 

 muriate of foda. 



1o obviate this dilRculty, fome have 

 nfiirmed that tiie fea-falt is only partially 

 decoii.pofed by the oxide of lead ; but 

 this eiicr proceeds from the erroneous 

 (explanation given cf a fact which is true 

 in iticlf. 



It is certain, on the contrary, that the 

 dccompo'ition of this Adt is coinplrte, 

 when the oxide of lead is in fuilicient 

 quantity ; for hovi' could this partial ac- 

 tion take place if the foda be obtained 

 pure, and why fliould it be interrupted 

 v/ithoiit any known caufe ? 



^^ ilh a view to elucidate this fubjcft, 

 M. "V'auqueiin vvas induced to enter upon 

 tjie foUiiwinir e\peri!nents. 



1. '\Vith fevini parts of finely pulvetit- 

 €d litharge, he mixed one part of muri- 

 ate of foda, to which he added a fushci- 

 «ut quantity of water to give it the con- 



fdlence of thin pap, and afterwards agi- 

 tateu itforfeveral hours, in order to fa- 

 cilitale the action oi thofe iubllaiices up- 

 on each other. 



The oxide of lead loft its natural co- 

 lour, and i;!-adi!a!ly became vvhitc. Its 

 bulk was greatl, augmented, ai;d, in pro- 

 portion as thi.' water was abforbcd, the 

 mixiure alfuiued fuch a decree of conlill- 

 ence, that iie was under the neceifity of 

 addiuf^, at diiferent nitervals, io it a 

 great quantity of water. At the expira- 

 tion of four days the htharge appe;trinc; 

 entirely cha!io,ed in its nature, he diiTuled 

 the mafs in feven or eipiit parts of water, 

 «iid afterward-- riltered it. 



The filtered hquor pofleifed a ftrong 

 alkaline talre, and held in Iblution a 

 fmall portion of muriate of lead, but not 

 a particle of muriate of foda. When re- 

 duced to about a t!..nh of its volume, it 

 furnilhed cryftals of carbonate of foda, 

 which were rendered opaque by fome re- 

 mains of muriate of lead. 



2. The oxide of load, when w^afhcd 

 and dried, was of a dirty white colour^ 

 ami its weight had auiimented about one 

 eighth. \\'iien expofed to a gentle heat 

 it acquired a ^ery beautiful citron-co- 

 lour, and loft 0.02 J of its weight. A part 

 of this oxide, treated with a fohuion 

 of cauftic foda, exhibited the following 

 phenomena. — 1. Its citron-colour was 

 changed into a dirty yellow. — 2. It loft 

 its pulverulent form, alVumed that of 

 necdlc-fhaped cryftals, and its bulk be- 

 came much diminiihed. The folntion of 

 foda had not feiifibly altered i« tafte ; it 

 however yielded a very abundant black 

 precipitate by (lydrofulphuret of (i^da, a 

 white precipitate with the nitric and '!^>'- 

 riatic acids ; but that formed by the firll 

 was re-diffo!vctl by an excefs (#■ tieitl. 

 Thefe precijiitates were perfectly iimilar 

 to that part of tlie mafs wiuch was not 

 difiolvcd by th'j focl-.i, 



3. A 



