Oxy muriatic Gas and Oxygeii. 1 ^ 



owing to the decomposition of this new anJ extraordinary 

 substance. 



All the conclusions which I have ventured to make re- 

 specting the undecompounded nature of oxymuriatic gas, 

 arej I conceive, entirely confirmed by these new facts. 



If oxvmuriatic gas contained oxygen, it is not ea«y to 

 conceive why oxygen should be afibrded bv this new com- 

 pound to muriatic gas, which must already contain oxygen 

 in intimate union. Though, on ihe idea of muriaiic acid 

 being a compound of hydrogen and oxymuriatic gas, the 

 phaenomena are such as might be expected. 



If the power of bodies to l)urn in oxymuriatic gas de- 

 pended upon the presence of oxygen, they all ought to 

 burn with much more energy in the new compound; but 

 copper and antimony, and mercury, and arsenic, and iron, 

 and sulphur have no action upon it till it is decomposed ; 

 and ihey act then according to their relative attractions on 

 the oxygen, or on the oxvmuriatic gas. 



There is a simple experiment which illustrates this idea: 

 Let a glass vessel contaiiiii^;;' brass foil be exhausted, and the 

 new gas admitted, no action will take place; throw in a 

 little nitrous gas, a rapid decomposition occurs, and the 

 metal burns with great brilliancy. ^ 



Supposing oxv^en and oxymuriatic gas to belonc to the 

 same class of bodies ; the attraction between them might 

 be conceived very weak, as it is found to be, and they are 

 easilv separated troni each other, and made repulsive by a 

 very low degree of heat. 



The most vivid eifects oF con)hustion known, are those 

 produced by the condensation of oxygen or oxymuriatic 

 gas; but in this inst-inee, a violent explosion with heat and 

 light are produced by their separation, and expansion, a 

 perfectly nove^ circumstance ni chemical philosophy. 



This compound destroys dry vegetable colours, but first 

 gives them a tint of red. This and its considerable absor- 

 bability by water would incline one to adopt Mr. Chenevix's 

 idea, that it approaches to an acid in its nature. It is pro- 

 bably combined with the peroxide of potassium in the hyper- 

 oxyniuriaie. 



That oxvmuriatic gas and oxygen combine and separate 

 from each other with such peculiar phasnomenn, appears 

 strongly in lavourof the idea of their being distinct, though 

 analogous species of matter. It is certainly possible to de- 

 lend the h)poihesis that oxymuriatic gas consists of oxy- 

 gen united to an unknown basis; but it would b^ possible 



Vol. 38. No. 155), July 1811. B likewise 



