On Oxalic Acid. 251 



Grains. 



Carbonic acid 5<)"53 



Inflammable air 24-28 



Water - - 11-51 



Charcoal - 4-68 



100-00 



The most remarkable circumstance attending the decom- 

 position of oxalic acid by heat, is the great proportion of 

 carbonic acid formed ; the quantity amounts to 6-lOthsof 

 the whole weight of acid decomposed. 



As the composition of all these products of oxalic acid 

 is known with considerable acmracy, it is obvious that they 

 furnish us with the means of ascertaining the constituents 

 of that acid itself. 



59'53 grains of carbonic acid arc composed of 

 Oxygen - 4^-96 

 Carbon - 16-67 



5953 



24-28 "-rains of inflammable air, according to the analysis 

 given in a preceding part of this paper, are composed of 

 Ox V gen - 11-96 



Carbon - 10-13 



Hydrogen - 1-89 



24-28 



11-51 grains of water are composed of 

 Oxygen - 9' 87 



Hydrogen - 1-64 



l'-5I 



As for the charcoal, though it probably contains both ox- 

 ygen and ludrogen as well as carbon, yet as the proportion 

 of the two first ingredients is probably very small, and as 

 we have no, means of estimating them, we must at present 

 rest satisfied with considering it as composed of pure carbon. 



When 



