of Aimospherical Air, Se. 161 
of water. The public are in possession of all the 
experiments, and will judge for themselves: they 
are conclusive and little can be added to them. [ 
shall concude this paper with some remarks on the 
‘appearance of nitrous acid in the explosion of hy- 
drogenous with oxygenous gas:.—The facts are 
briefly these. When the quantity of hydrogenous 
gas is in due proportion to saturate the oxygen, or 
when there is an excess of it, water is produced, 
When, on the contrary, there is an excess of oxy 
genous gas, nitrous gas is produced.—Since it is 
proved that the basis of this acid is azote, its pre- 
sence cannot be denied wherever the acid is formed. 
All that can, therefore, be inferred from the above 
stated fact is, 
I. That oxygen and azote, in the temperature 
which is produced by a rapid combustion, or an 
explosion of hydrogenous gas with oxygenous gas, 
haye a greater affinity to each other than they have 
to caloric; they, therefore, abandon the caloric 
which kept them in a gaseous state, and, combining 
together, form nitrous acid. 
II. That oxygen has a greater affinity to hydroe 
gen than to azote. Hence, in a rapid combustion, 
or explosion, the oxygen cannot unite with azote, 
if there be present a sufficient quantity of hydrogen , 
to saturate it; but, if there be a deficiency of hydro 
gen, the oxygen and azote will combine. In the 
VOL. V. w 
