110 New Experiments on the 
For the first five or six times this process is performed without 
the evolution of oxygen gas; especially if the muriatic acid be 
not completely saturated, and if the muriate be poured into 
the sulphuric acid: beyond this point it is difficult to avoid losing 
alittle oxygen; but the grecter part of this gas remains united to 
the acid. In this way I obtained an acid containing 32 times its 
volume of oxygen at the temperature of 68° of Fahr. under a 
pressure of 29-992 inches of mercury ; and only 44 times its 
volume of muriatic acid: 7, e. the volume of oxygen being 7, that 
of the muriatic acid was 1. 
Though the oxygenized muriatic acid prepared in this manner 
contains a large quantity of oxygen, it is still capable of receiving 
a new portion. To make it absorb the gas with facility another 
method must be followed; which consists in putting the oxyge- 
nized muriatic acid in contact with sulphate of silver. Imme- 
diately there is formed an insoluble chloride of silver, and oxygs - 
nized sulphuric acid, which is very soluble. The latter being Se- 
parated by the filter, muriatic acid is added, but in smaller quan- 
tity than it existed in the oxygenized muriatic acid employed at 
first. Barytes, in quantity just sufficient to precipitate the sul- 
phuric acid, is then added; when the oxygen, quitting the sul- 
phuric acid to unite with the muriatic, instantly brings this acid 
to the highest point of oxygenation. Thus it is evident we can 
transfer the whole of the oxygen from one of these acids to the 
other; and, on reflection, it is equally evident that to bring sul- 
phuric acid to the highest degree of oxygenation, it is only ne- 
cessary to pour barytes water into the oxygenized sulphuric acid, 
in such quantity as to precipitate only a part of the acid. These 
operations, with a little practice, may all be easily performed. 
By combining the two methods just described, | obtain oxy- 
genized muriatic acid containing nearly 16 volumes of oxygen for 
1 of muriatic acid. It was so weak that I could only extract 
3°63 volumes of oxygen gas from 1 volume of acid, under a pres- 
sure of 29:922 inches of mercury, aid at a temperature of 65°'3, 
Oxygenized muriatic acid exhibits several phenomena, new to 
me, and worthy of being stated.— When recently prepared, it does 
not give off any air bubbles when filtered ;~but soon after very 
small bubbles make their appearance at the bottom of the vessel, 
ascend, and burst at the surface of the liquid. This is the case 
even when the acid is only once oxygenized. Suspecting that the 
action of light had something to do with this slow decomposition, 
I filled, almost entirely, a bottle with acid, and, after corking it, 
placed it bottom uppermost in a dark place. After some hours 
it exploded. This acid contained more than 30 times its volume ; 
and yet when put under the receiver of an air pump, it gave off 
but a small quantity of the gas which it contained. 
I had 
