26S Origin of the Muriatic Acid. 



properties of this fait and the phenomena of the water, thet 

 the water contains this very fait : now, I conclude, that they 

 contain a matter, be it what it may, produced by the action 

 of hepatic gas on iron. But thty are the very fame facts 

 which form the bafis upon which each feparate inference 

 is built :— does it not then follow as a neceffary confequence, 

 that the hepari<Vd folution itfelf contains a muriat of iron 

 highly oxygenated, and that, therefore, it: this procefs muriatic 

 acid is generated? This ccr-clufion feems authorifed by 

 reafon, and experiment has confirmed it. I. I evaporated a 

 fmall quantity of the folution (vin. 1.) in a watch glafs to 

 drynels : a bitter dcliqn-'f' ent fait is left belli nd : on this 

 fait a little ftrong fu!p' uric scid was dropped, and paper 

 moiitened with ammoniac was held over the glafs ; white 

 vapours w=re immediately formed over the glafs : fome 

 volatile acid is, thertiore, fcparated by the fulphunc acid. 



2. 1 ev^pcated about 8 ounec-rre?fuies of the f.iqae liquor, 

 and, as before, dropped a little lulphuric acid on the re- 

 (iduu.ru ; in this cafe a ftrong effervefcence was excited, very 

 pungent acid fumes arofe, which, from their fmell, were 

 readily known to be muriatic. The f2me truth was efta- 

 bliihed beyond a doubt by holding a bit of paper moiftened 

 with fimple water, which made the vapours vifible in the 

 form of a grey fmoke — a diftinguiihing characteriftic of the 

 muriatic acid. (Bergman's EJfays, Dijfe'tation II. II. b. 3.) 

 1 he evaporation had been performed in a copper veflel, ex- 

 cept at its clofe ; and though it was carried on very rapidly, 

 the dtliquefcent matter had acquired a ftrong cupreous tafte. 



3. The hepatifed folution of manganefe (ix. 1.) evaporated 

 to drynefs, leaves a dtliquefcent fait of a peculiar mawkilh 

 tafte ; and it (hews the fame figns of muriatic acid as the 

 folution of iron, when treated with fulphuric acid in the 

 fame way. I have expofed black oxyde of manganefe to 

 oxygenated muriatic acid, and find that a deliquefcent fait is 

 formed, which is afFe£\ed neither by prufliat of potafh nor 

 tincture of galls ;— alkalies feparate from it (what I did not 



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