110 Experiments on Muriatic Acid Gas, 
That the entire quantity of water contained in the muriatic 
acid gas is not to be looked for, is evident from the nature of 
the ammoniacal salt, particularly its volatility, whence the due 
degree of heat to effect the separation of the water cannot be 
applied. Ifthe other muriates yield the greater part of their 
water, only when raised nearly to a red heat, (which is the ease,) 
it is not to be supposed that muriate of ammonia shall do so at 
a temperature so much lower, as that which it ean sustain with- 
out volatilization. What is to be expected, is a certain portion 
of water, greater as the arrangements employed are better 
adapted to obviate the peculiar difficulty attending the experi- 
ment. There zs a production of water in every form of it; and 
there exists no just argument whence it can be inferred, that the 
quantity is less than what ought to be obtained. On the oppo- 
site doctrine, none whatever should appear. 
To effect the more perfect separation of the water from the 
muriate of ammonia, I had performed the additional experiment 
of passing the salt formed from the combination of the two gases 
in vapour through ignited charcoal, on the principle that by the 
interposition of the charcoal the transmission of the vapour 
would be impeded, and it would be exposed to a more extensive 
surface, at which a high temperature would operate, while some 
effect might also be obtained from the affinities exerted by the 
carbonaceous matter. To remove any ambiguity from the ef- 
fect of the charcoal, it was previously exposed in an iron tube 
to a very intense heat, until all production of elastic fluid had 
ceased; and removed, while still warm, into a tube of Wedg- 
wood’s porcelain, containing the muriate of ammonia, which 
was then placed across a furnace so as to be raised to a red 
heat. As soon as the vapour of the salt passed through the ig- 
nited charcoal, gas was disengaged, which was conveyed by a 
curved glass tube adapted to the porcelain one, and received in 
a jar over quicksilver. Moisture was at the same time pretty 
copiously deposited, condensing both in the glass tube in glo- 
bules, and being brought in vapour with the gas, which it ren- 
dered opaque, and condensing on the surface of the quicksilver 
within the jars. The elastic fluid consisted of carburetted hy- 
drogen and carbonic acid, products evidently of the decomposi- 
tion by the ignited charcoal of a portion of the liberated water. 
In this experiment, then, the result was still more satisfactory 
than in the other. That no ambiguity arose from any effect of 
the charcoal in affording water, is evident from this,—that the 
water appeared at the moment the salt began to pass in vapour, 
and at a temperature far below that at which the charcoal had 
ceased to afford any gas. In another variation of the experi- 
ment, 
