410 Experiments on the Combinations of 
When muriatic acid gas was introduced to potash formed 
from the combustion of potassium, water was instantly 
formed, and oxymuriate of potassium *. JT have made no 
accurate experiment on the proportions of miuriatic acid 
gas decomposed by potash, but. 1. made a very. minute in- 
vestigation of the nature of the mutual decomposition of 
this substance and hydrat of potash. Bese. 
Ten grains of hydrat of potash were heated ,to redness 
in a tray of: platina, which was. carefully weighed 3 it was 
introduced into a retort which was exhausted of air, and the 
retort was filled with muriatic acid gas... The hydrat of 
and the tray heated: to redness: there was nooadditional in- 
creasdoPwelgtitcun ods, brs, casgouia to,200 01 asgorbytl to 297-4 
In the few experiments which, [have made.on theaction 
of sodium ‘andi soda:onoxymurtaticugas; «the phenomena 
appeared precisely atialogous s but’ séditim,’ as might have 
been expected, absorbed nearly twice.as.inach. oxymuniatic 
gas as potassium s.|: nom fount i vf 
When comnion salt that has been ignited is heated with 
potassium, there isan immediate decomposition, and by 
giving the mixture, a:tedoheat: pure sodium is» obtained ; 
and this*procéss 4ffords”aii easy node, and the one'l have 
e190 PTS eM EC yw RVsty aires? fo DIP Filim OL Foss yA : 
always lately adopted ‘for precuring, that metal. . No, hydro- 
gen is disengaged indbisiopesation, and two parts of potas- 
sium T find proddde rather mint ainone of sadium.’ 
_ From the series. Gf proportions, that I have communicated 
In my. Jasti paper, citeisvenidentithaba grain of potassium 
ought to absorb 1:08 cubical inch of oxymiuriatic’ acid ; 
and thatthe ‘potash formed from’ one, grain. of potassium 
ought to: decompose about 2bG.cubieal inches of: muriatic 
acid gas 3“arid those estinrations’ agree very nearly with the 
result of experiments... capa: aa Ciel 
he estimation of, the: composition of, soda,:.as deduced 
from the: expéerimentseinothe dast ‘Bakerian lecture, js 25°4 
of oxygen to 74°G'of Mielal; and this would give the number 
representing the proportiondnahich sodium combines with 
bodies 22°+; from whicly it-isvevident, that a grdin of so- 
7 ela dium 
* i.e. mutiate of potash. } 
+ Or if soda be cun-idered as deutoxide, which seems prehable from 
the expcrineents before detailed; and on this supposition, the salts of die 
’ mus 
