liv Historical Sketch of the Physical Sciences, 1818. 
the acid liquor formed. The acid, he thinks, was the same 
-whether obtained from ether, alcohol, or oil of turpentine, He 
collected about a pint and a half of liquid from the combustion 
of ether. It was a colourless hquid, of an intensely sour taste, 
and pungent odour, irritating the lungs, and producing eifects 
similar to chlorine. Its specific gravity varied from 1*U00 ta 
1-008. When evaporated carefully, it allows a quantity of alco- 
hol to escape, and the specific gravity becomes 1°015. It reddens 
vegetable blues, and decomposes all the earthy and alkaline’ 
carbonates. He found the composition of lampate of soda and 
lampate of barytes as follows : 
Lampate of soda. 
Meds, Qe, (ik ee AP ea 6554 
POG ese SEE OTT MAGES. Balels Oy 4-000 
Lampate of barytes. 
Fi SM a eae Be ADE Dri ssh... are’s o's o's) 2556 
Barytes fs). a%/..2 GG ir. bieiels vias hate 9-750 
These two analyses correspond well, and indicate 6-555 as the 
equivalent number for lampic acid. All the lampates are deli- 
quescent salts. Lampate of ammonia is very volatile, and 
evaporates at a heat below that of boiling wa'er. When burnt, 
it emits a disagreeable smell, like that of burning animal matter, 
Gold, platinum, and silver, are reduced to the metallic state by 
~ this acid. I think it not unlikely that the effect is owing to the 
alcohol with which the acid is obviously mixed. Mr. Daniell 
analyzed it by the method invented by Gay-Lussac and Thenard, 
The constituents which he obtained were : 
Carbonsicearsed ys és whieh dhe eos 40°7 
Hydrogen. ....... Rea semen a 
Wietebia's!iogits ti ive! degen pind EG 
: 100-0 
Hence he infers the constituents to be: 
1 atom carbon .......... = 0°75 
2 atoms hydrogen. ...... = 
1 atom oxygen ......... = 1:00 
It is sufficiently obvious that this analysis cannot be recon- 
ciled to the number 6°555, which was found to be that of lampic 
acid from the salts examined. Neither is 6°555 a multiple of 
2:00. Of consequence the constitution must be different from 
what has been deduced by Mr. Daniell from his experiments. 
Peroxide of copper would furnish amuch easier and more accurate 
mode of analysis. It is surprising that Mr. Daniell did not have 
* recourse to it.—(Institution Journal, vi. 318.) 
