Rmjal Soc'ety of Edinhirgh. 59 



the retort The whole quantity from tiie details of the expevi- 

 meiit, I found reason to conclude, amounted to about one-sixth 

 nearly of the weight of the acid *." In direct opposition to tins 

 statem'ent, Dr. Ure found it impossible to obtain water by merely 

 heatins, or passing over heated charcoal or quartz the salt re- 

 sulting from the union of the acid and ammoniacal gases, ^■.•hen 

 thev were properly dried beforehand, as they ought to be ; thus 

 confirming the fidelity of Sir H. and Dr^Davy s expennu>nts m 

 this particular, and the incorrectness of Dr. Murray s. Dr. Ure 

 infers from his experiments, that muriatic acid gas is composed 

 of an atom of dry acid, combined with an atom of water, like he 

 vapours of nitric and sulphuric acids ; and consequently that 

 chlorine is oxygenated muriatic acid. To his paper is subjonied 

 the description and dra^ying of a new exploding Eudiometer, 

 which he employed for analysing the gaseous products m the 

 above series of experiments ; and whicii uniting simplicity, safety, 

 and precision, it is hoped, may prove generally usetul to che- 

 mists, in pneumatic analyses by explosion f. . , , T^ 



An account of Dr. Ure's exi^eriments was transmitted to Dr. 

 Wollaston on the Ifith September, an abstract ot tlienr, was 

 published in The Philosophical Magazine or. the 1st October, 

 and the paper itself was left in Dr. Murray's hanJs on October 

 2.5th. It having been suggested by some members ot the So- 

 ciety, after the reading of the paper, that it would be desirable. 

 ifDr Ure would repeat his experiments, with the salt resulting 

 from gaseous combination, he accordingly dul so; and trans- 

 mittecfan account of his successfiil results to Dr. Murray, on the 

 26th November. The second part of Dr. Ure s paper, coii- 

 tainincr the supplementary verifications, was intrusted to Dr 

 Brewster on December (ith, and by him immediately presented 

 to the Secretary of the Society. This part contains a new and 

 striking demonstration of the identity of the two differently pre- 

 pared muriates of ammonia ; only that which results from gaseous 

 combination, being more powerfully absorbent ot moisture, from 

 its finer state of comminution, is liable to greater tallacy, and 

 less fitted for the above experiments than common sal ammoniac 

 recently heated for some time to near its suhliming temperature. 



Bv t'ransmitting dry muriatic acid gas over the ignited metals, 

 Dr. Ure obtained likewise water, corresponding ni qnantuy to 

 the metallic muriate formed. Xhe muriate of iron thus obtained, 

 seems peculiar. It is in small white scales, of a micaceous lustre 

 and appears to contain a smaller proportion of iron, and that 

 \n a lower state of oxidizement than the common green '"""at^- 

 It is also demonstrated that the water formerly obtained by Dr. 



• System of Chemistry, etlit. 1S12. vol. ii. p. M2. ^ _ 



+ One of these, instruments was exhibited to the bocict>. 



' iVlurrav 



