AMMONIA WITH CARBONIC ACID. 133 



hot water was employed. It seems to me that they have ahA ays 

 been looked on as the common bicarbonate^ from which they 

 differ, not only by the form of the crystals, but also, as will be 

 seen immediately, in their composition. It is, however, also 

 possible that the bicarbonate, with 2 atoms of water, which was 

 treated of in the preceding chapter, may never have been ob- 

 tained crystallized ; since, notwithstanding all my endeavours, I 

 only succeeded once in producing distinct ci-ystals, at other 

 times only powder and crusts ; and, that all the crystallized bi- 

 cai'bonate formerly obtained contained more water. The imper- 

 fect descriptions of the crystals given by Schrader* and others 

 seems at least to render this view probable, although, on the 

 other hand, all the analyses with which I am acquainted, give 

 55 to 56 per cent, carbonic acid in the bicarbonate, which agrees 

 with the salt described in the preceding chajjter. 



2'722 grm. of the salt gave 3-179 gnu. metaUic platina, and 

 3*406 grm. of the same preparation, treated with muriatic acid, 

 890'66 cub. centim. carbonic acid gas. 



l-802grm. of the salt produced 2*043 grm. of metallic platina, 

 and 1-116 grm., with a solution of the chloride of barium and 

 ammonia, 2*630 grm. of carbonate ofbarytes. 0*764 grm. of the 

 same salt afforded, with muriatic acid, 185*11 cub. centim. car- 

 bonic acid gas. These answer to the following compositions : 



I. II. 



Ammonia . . 20*31 19*72 



Carbonic acid . 52*82 52*96—52*05 



Water .... 26*87 27*32 



100-00 100-00 



which corresponds to the chemical formula 4C + 2NIP+ 5H 

 or rather 4 C + 2 NH'* + 3 H ; calculated according to this, it 

 would be in the hundred. 



Ammonia 20-45 



Carbonic acid 52-73 



Water 26-82 



100-00 

 The salt therefore differs from the other bicarbonate only by its 

 containing one half of an atom more water. 



• Neues allijem. Journal der Chetnie, vol. ii. p. 582. 



