Muriat of Potash. 225 
with stating some of its properties. It did not de 
tonate with sulphur, and was totally or nearly inso- 
luble in water. The sulphuric acid dissolved it, 
and gave evident signs of muriatic acid, which 
appeared to be slightly oxygenated. After being 
exposed to a red heat for half an hour the above 
properties still appeared the same, except with the 
sulphuric acid. I thought the gas that was disen- 
gaged had more of the smell of simple muriatic 
acid gas, though along with it a little of the oxyge- 
nated gas might be perceived. The muriatic acid 
did not appear to dissolve any of this substance 
either before or after its calcination. With the 
nitrous acid, a strong smell of the oxygenated mu- 
Tlatic gas was produced. From a dram of this 
substance, in an earthen retort exposed to a strong 
heat, about six ounce-measures of gas were pro- 
- duced, consisting of a mixture of carbonic and 
azotic gas, the latter of which was in the greatest 
quantity, forming, by estimate, about three fourths 
of the whole. 
The form of the crystals that first appeared in - 
the solution of alkali were quadrangular plates : 
what were afterwards formed, when the lixivium 
became. cool, were needle-like, as were those that 
were produced by spontaneously evaporating the 
remainder of the ley: they appear to have the 
same property of detonating as the first. These 
different forms of crystals appeared on dissolving 
VOL. V. EE 
