tn the Nature of certain Bodies. 1 r/ 



it instantly takes fire and burns with a brilliant white light, 

 a white substance coats the interior of the vessel in which 

 the experiment is niade, and the peculiar substance is found 

 <^vered bv a white film, which, by washing, affords boracic 

 acid, and leaves a black matter, which is not spontaneously 

 inflammable in a fresh portion of the gas; but which in- 

 flames' in it by a gentle heat, and produces boracic acid. 



The peculiar inflammable substance, when heated nearly 

 to redness in hydrogen, or nitrogen, did not seem to dis- 

 solve in these gases, or to act upon them ; it merely gained 

 a darker shade of colour, and a little moisture rose from it, 

 which condensed in the neck of the retort in which the ex- 

 periment was made. 



On the fluid menstrua containing oxygen, it produced 

 effects which might be looked for from the phsenomena of 

 its agency on gases. 



When thrown into concentrated nitric acid, it rendered ii 

 bright red, so that nitrous gas was produced and absorbed, 

 but it did nofdissolve rapidly till the acid was heated ; when 

 there was a considerable effervescence, the peculiar substance 

 disappeared, nitrous gas was evolved, and the fluid afforded 

 boracic acid. 



It did not act upon concentrated sulphuric acid till heat 

 was applied ; it then produced a slight effervescence ; the 

 acid became black at its points of contact with the solid ; and 

 a deep brown solution was formed, which, when neutralized 

 by potash, gave a black precipitate. 



When heated in a strong solution of muriatic acid, it gave 

 it a faint tint of green ; but there was no vividness of action, 

 or considerable solution. 



On atetic acid heated, it had no perceptible action. 



It combined with the fixed alkalies, both by fusion and 

 aqueous solution, and formed pale oliva-coloured com- 

 pounds, which gave dark precipitates when decomposed by 

 imiriatic acid. 



When it was kept long in contact with sulphur in fusion, 

 it slowly dissolved, and the sulphur acquired an olive tint. 

 It was still less acted upon by phosphorus, and after an hour's 

 exposure to it, had scarcely diminished in quantity, but the 

 phosphorus had gained a lint of pale green. 



It did not combine with mercury, when they were heated 

 together. 



These circumstances arc sufficient to show, that the com- 

 bustible substance obtained from boracic acid by the agvncy 

 of potassium, is different from any other known species of 

 iTialtcr, and it seems, as far as the evidence extends, to be 

 II 3 the 



