Formation of murhtk Acid by Galvanism. 185 

 s 

 furnished some muriatic salt, T added nitrate of silver to por- 

 tions of pure water ia which corks had been kept immersed 

 24 hours ; but instead of opalescence being produced, the 

 •colour of Itie liquid piLS^ed through successive shades to that 

 of Port wine, and the tingfing neuter remained in solution, 

 ins^tead of settling to thelwttom like muriate of silver. In. 

 ftiture experiments on the syndicsis of muriatic acid it will 

 therefore be expedient to emp'.ov an apparatus in which the 

 water shall neither come into contact with the fingers nor 

 with corks. For transi-iitting the metallic wires, perforated 

 glass stoppers, one of which has an aperture large enough 

 to allow the water to escape as the gases are generated, 

 would answer the purpose suthciently. It is desirable also 

 that the water employed should be well freed from air, and 

 that the atmosphere should be excluded; for, if muriatic 

 acid be generated, it will otherwise remain to be proved thai 

 azote is'iiot one nf its components ; and ttiis presumption 

 is even confirmed by the extreme minuteness of the portioa 

 of muriatic acid which seemed to be produced in my expe- 

 riment. If water contain all the elements of that acid, and 

 nothintr more be required to effect its transmutation than a 

 chani;e~of their proportion, we might expect a considerable 

 and vuiequivocal production of muriatic acid by the process 

 of Galvanism. Another circumstance suggesting the pre- 

 sence of azote in this acid is, that on examining the liquor 

 obtained by detonating impure hvdrogen and oxygen gases 

 in close copper vessels, Mr. Keir found that a small quantity 

 of muriatic acid accompanied the nitrous acid thus formed. 

 — .See Keir's Dictionary, p. 119. 



'* The )>recautinns which I have suggested will not be 

 thoutrht trivial hv any one who recollects that one of the 

 most accurate and celebrated chemists of this or any other 

 time* was misled to a belief that he had effected the syii- 

 thesfs of muriatic acid, bv a circumstance which was neg- 

 lected solely from its apparent insignificance;. The source 

 of fallacy, in the instance alluded to, shows how unaccount- 

 ably that acid may find its way into the subjects of our ex- 

 cerin'jents, and mtroduce uncertainty into their results. 

 I am, sir, your obedient humble hcrvant, 

 Manchester, " WiLMAM HhNRY." 



July :i3, 1K05. 



• Bertbollet. The error arose from flie employment of iron filings con- 

 Limiiiated wicli muriatic acid, from whicli it rciiuirfcf repealed washing with 

 di^tilltd v/.iter to frte them, and which was tvtii pri'^cjit in tht-ni whcnfreiJi 

 made for the ^\xt^um,—AiuiaLts dc Chiraii:, xixii;. IJ, 1(). 



Mr. 



