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LX. On the Existence of Salts of Potash in Brine-Sj)ritigs and 

 in Rock-Salt. By E. W. Brayley, Jun., A.L.S. 



"IIITHEN Dr. Marcet commenced his chemical examination 

 ' ^ of specimens of sea- water from various parts of the globe, 

 the results of which are given in a paper published in the Phi- 

 losophical Transactions for 1 8 1 9, the probability that the waters 

 of the ocean contain potash, "as an ingredient brought down 

 by rivers from the decay of land-plants," was suggested to him 

 by Dr. Wollaston. This suggestion, as is recorded in the same 

 paper, was verified by Dr. Wollaston himself; who thought it 

 probable, further, that potash existed in sea-water in the state 

 of sulphate. The last production of the former chemist, pub- 

 lished in the Phil. Trans, for 1822, (Phil. Mag. vol. Ix.) con- 

 sists of some researches on the less obvious contents of sea- 

 water ; proving the existence in it of a triple sulphate of potash 

 and magnesia, and showing also that it contains an additional 

 proportion of potash, probably in the state of muriate. 



It has not appeared, hitherto, whether any chemist, in con- 

 sequence of these researches, has subjected to experiment any 

 of the varieties of rock-salt, or of brine from salt-springs, with 

 the view of ascertaining whether they contain potash. No in- 

 dication of it is recorded to have been found, in Dr. Henry's 

 analyses of the Cheshire rock-salt and evaporated brine, or in 

 Mr. L. Horner's analysis of the brine from the springs of 

 Droitwich in Worcestershire. In the last Number of the Phil. 

 Mag. and Annals, however, Dr. Bigsby, in his Sketch of the 

 Geology of Lake Ontario, has given (at p. 341) the results of 

 an analysis, by Dr. M<^Neven, of New York, of the " dry salt" 

 from the brine-springs of Salina, a town between Liverpool 

 and Onondago, near Lake Oneida ; from which it appears to 

 contain no less than 2*525 per cent of sulphate of potash. 

 These results. Dr. Bigsby has had the goodness to inform me, 

 were quoted by him from Prof. A. Eaton's Geological Survey 

 of the District adjoining the Erie Canal, which was published 

 in 1824'; but they appear to have hitherto escaped the atten- 

 tion of chemical writers, as announcing the existence of potash 

 in mineral salt. 



Neither Dr. Henry nor Mr. Horner had occasion to insti- 

 tute any direct researches for potash in the salt and brine they 

 examined. Dr. Henry, however, employed several processes 

 for investigating the presence of alkaline sulphates, varying 

 them according to the ascertained presence of other salts. 

 Operating in this manner, had Dr. Henry possessed, when 

 making his analyses, the accurate knowledge of the composi- 

 lion of the reagents and standards he employed, which, in com- 

 3 G 2 nion 



