Koyal Society of London, 89 



obferves upon Dr. Wollafton's experiment of immerfing 

 zinc and filver in an acid fulution, that if tliey are placed iti 

 two feparaie portions of the fluid, and the parts not ini- 

 merfed are jrought into contaft, there is no emiflion of gas 

 from the iilver ; but that it is copioufly produced when the 

 contaA takes place in the fame fluid. He proceeds to relate 

 foine experiments which feeni to fliow a difference between 

 gaK'anifm and cleAricity, particularly that galvanifm does not 

 appear to be attrafted by metallic points. He alfo ftates an 

 expcrin4[ent in which a piece of paper is placed on tinfoil, 

 and rubbed with elallic gum ; and aUhough the tinfoil is not 

 infulatcd, ("parks are produced on railing the paper. Dr. 

 Gibbes concludes with fome arguments again (I the doftrine 

 of the decompofition of water ; and advances as a probable 

 opinion that oxygen and hydrogen gas are compofcd ot water 

 as a bafii uniied with two other elements, which combined 

 form heat. 



The meetings of the ?8th January, the 4lh and nth 

 February, were principally occupied by a paper on the hy- 

 peroxyirenizcd muriatic acid, by Richard Chenevix, Elq, 

 F.R.S." 



After a fhort account of the experiments that had been 

 made before him, and particularly of the ingenious conjec- 

 ture of Mr. Berthollet *, Mr. Chenevix proceeds to flate the 

 means by which he has afcertained, that the acid contained 

 in hvperoxvgenized muriate of potafh is muriatic acid in 

 a particular hate of combination with oxygen, and the ex- 

 periments by which he determined the proportion of thefe 

 elements. 



From the quantity of oxveen and of fimplc muriatic acid 

 contained in the fait, he proves that hyperoxygenized muri- 

 atic acid is compofed of 



oxvgen - - 65 



muriatic acid - '35 



100 

 From the proportions of the fait which is formed when a 

 current of ozygcnized muriatic acid is pafl'ed ihrtjugh a fo- 

 lution of potaflj, and which he found to be com))ofcd of the 

 fame elements, in t!ic fame proportion as oxygenized mu- 

 riate of potafli would be, if, at the very moment of its for- 

 mation, it had not been refolved into iimplc and hypcroxygc- 

 liized muriate, he concludes lliat oxvgenizcd muriatic acid is 

 compoltd of oxygen - - 16 



muriatic acid - - 84 



'* Journal Je Pb}fiquc, 17S8, page 217. 



From 



