Carbonic Acid and Ammonia. 23 
expected in the results of analyses made upon 
the common yolatile salt; because it is always 
procured during its state of transition from 
one definite form to another, unless, which is 
very improbable, that the salt loses all its ele- 
ments in the same, proportion, 
_ Properties of carbonate of ammonia. 
1. This inodorous salt can’ scarcely. be call- 
ed_yolatile in ordinary. temperatures (as has 
been already observed) ; it may remain for some 
days exposed to the atmosphere without suffer- 
ing, any remarkable loss of weight. It is 
however slowly and gradually dissipated. 
When the beat of a lamp.is applied it loses 
part of its acid, and the rest. of the salt sub- 
limés in the state of. a subcarbonate. 
2. It is soluble in. water, ;but much less so 
than the subcarbonate; the greatest specific 
gravity of the solution is 1.05; and 100 mea- 
sures of this contain 12 grains of the salt, or 
7.4 of realacid. and ammonia, . The. solution 
has the alkaline taste, and gives a purple 
tinge to vegetable reds, the same as pure am- 
monia; nor does it seem possible to destroy 
this character of it by the addition of carbo- 
nie acid; so that the carbonate of ammonia 
cannot be made neutral if this is to’ bé the test. 
