152 On the Produclwn of Muriates 



first expressed from, and then imbibed, with a surplus 

 quantity, into the parts of the body which undergo the 

 mechanical action, and it is this circumstance which has 

 so nnicn puzzled soine philosophers in certain experiments 

 on Inolion. But as we may possibly lay before the society 

 at a future period a few thoughts confined principally to this 

 ol)jcctj we forbear enterir.g furiiier into it at present. 



XXIII. On the Production of Muriates ly the Galvanic 

 Decomposition of JVater : with a second Letter on the 

 Siihject from Mr. W. Peel, of Cambridge. 



In our last volume, page 279? we laid before our readers 

 a letter from Mr. Peel, of Cambridge, announcing the pro- 

 duction of w?irfa^e o/"506?fl by the Galvanic decomposition 

 of water. That communication we considered as extremely 

 important, and we suggested that such experiments as Mr. 

 Peel was engaged in, might possibly lead to some know- 

 ledge of the composition of soda and the base of the mu- 

 riatic acid. 



The letter alluded to was dated the 23d of April last, and 

 published in our number for that month. We have been 

 not a little gratified since in finding that our suspicion has 

 been in some degree confirmed by M. Cuvier's report of the 

 labours of the Class of the Mathematical and Physical Sci- 

 ences of the French National Institute from the 20th of 

 June 1804 to the 20lh of June 1803, published on the 25th 

 of the last-mentioned month *. One of the articles of this 

 report states, that M. Pacchiani, of Pisa, has discovered 

 the radical of the acid in question, which he states to be 

 hydrogen. By taking from water, by means of the Gal- 

 vanic pil§, a portion of its oxygen, he asserts that the water 

 was converted into oxyn)uriatic acid; and that, conse- 

 quently, " muriatic acid is hydrogen at its minimum of 

 oxidation t; the oxymuriatic acid, hydrogen in the middle 

 state ; and water, hydrogen at its maximum of oxidation." 

 The following letter was intended for our last number, 

 but did not reach us in time. It will be found as interest- 

 ing to our philosophical readers as Mr. Peel's former com- 

 niunicatioa. The result of his new experiment, so far as 



• Part of this report is given in our present Number. 



f In our 6th vol. p. 153, wc announced that Girtanner maintained hydro- 

 gen to be tlie radical of the muriaiio acid, and that this acid contained less 

 oxygen than water. 



the 



