60 On the Xulioe of the alkaline Mailer contained In 



icr. On acldina; liquid tartaric acid to this alkaline matted 

 also li(]ucticd, an ctlcrvescence ensued, with a precipitate of 

 super- tartrate of potaslt only ; " certainly yielding no soda' 

 tartrate of potash." With niiro-nuiriate at' j)latina a grain 

 or two of' this saline matter produced a reddish precipitate. 

 Now itnniriatc of potash, and carbonate or sub-carbonate 

 of soila had existed, the result must have lieen soda-tarlrate 

 of potash and muriate of soda; or tartrate of potash and 

 nuniate of soda. 'J'his latter result is not so probable as 

 the former, on account of the very large proportion of al- 

 kali to aiiv other possible salt. The quantities, too, were 

 obviously sufhcient for producing compound salts deter- 

 minable bv the eve unassisted with glasses. 



II. By diticsting 2500 grains of desiccated sputum in four 

 pints of alcohol of spirit of wine, the clear tincture decanted 

 from oflthe undissolved matter afforded on distillation 140 

 grains of resin-like substance ; which manifested no alkaline 

 properties, but it indicated sligluly acidity. 



A portion of this resin-like substance bcmg mixed with 

 liquid tartaric acid was subjected to distillation ; but neither 

 muriatic nor any other acid was disengaged. This I con- 

 ceive shows that no muriate of potash existed. 



Twentv-five grains of this iTiatter were acted upon hy suc- 

 cessive aflusions of nitric acid ; and on boiling to dryness 

 and ignition, the deflagration which took place produced 

 a charcoal-like mass containing potash. Hence the alkali 

 liad been united to something destructible by fire. 



Accordinii to computation, the 1-10 grains of resin-like 

 matter contained 28 grains of potash united to matter de- 

 structible by fire, and IS grains of muriate of soda, with an 

 ina))precial)le (juantity of ammonia and [)hobphoric acid be- 

 sides the animal matter. The matter undissolved by alco- 

 hol, in this procesB, afforded bv incineration and fusion a 

 mass consisting of 23 grains of muriate of soda with a very 

 small proportion of potash nrL^cd with 23 grains of phos- 

 piiait of lime, traces of magnesia, iron, and a sulphate ; also 

 a minute portion of utterly indissoluble vitritk-d matter. If 

 potash had existed in union with muriatic acid, it must have 

 appeared in the fused mass left undissolved after digestion 

 in alcohol : but pol.tsh did appear in a naked state after 

 ignition and fusion of the matter dissolved in alcohol. 



III. By digesting 4000 grains of sputum in two jjints of 

 rectified spirit of wine, the same results were obtained, ex- 

 cepting that th.e resin-like matter contained a much larger 

 proportion of muriate of soda and animal matter. 



IV'. Twenty ounces of ropy sputum by digestion in ten 



pints 



