38 Dr. Murray’s Experiments on [Jan. 
by adding only as much water as produces fluidity without sub- 
verting the combination. Portions, therefore, of the residue 
were exposed to a humid atmosphere, until by deliquescence 
liquors were formed transparent without any precipitation ; and 
these were strongly acid, reddening litmus paper when it was 
perfectly dry and warm. I further found that the product of the 
solution of zine im liquid muriatic acid, when digested with an 
excess of metal and evaporated to dryness, afforded by deliques- 
cence a liquor sensibly acid ; and in both cases, even when the 
solid product was retained liquid by heat, acidity was indicated 
by litmus paper, Lastly, what is still less liable to objection, 
the residue in the experiment of heating the muriate of ammonia 
with the different metals, afforded similar indications of acidity. 
These results appear to establish the production of a super- 
muriate in the action of these metals on the acid, and this 
accounts for the appearance of a portion of water, since, suppos- 
ing water to exist m muriatic acid gas, the quantity combined 
with that proportion of acid which would establish a neutral 
compound is the quantity required to oxidate the metal to form 
that compound ; and if any additional portion of acid enter into 
union, the water of this must be liberated, or be at least capable 
of being expelled. 
It was of importance, 1m relation to this question, to ascertain 
the quantity of hydrogen obtained from a given quantity of 
muriatic acid gas ; for if the whole water essential to the acid is 
decomposed by the action of the metal, half the volume of 
hydrogen ought to be obtained, munatic acid gas being com- 
ar of equal volumes of oxymuriatic gas and hydrogen gas. 
{ made this repeatedly the subject of experiment by heating zinc 
and iron in muriatic acid gas. There are difficulties in deter- 
mining the proportion with perfect precision ; but the quantity 
ofhydrogen always appeared to be less than the half; and onan 
average, about 12 measures were obtained, when 30 measures of 
the other had been consumed, a result conformable to the libe- 
ration of a portion of the combined water of the gas. 
Whether the production of water in these experiments is satis- 
factorily accounted for on the cause now orn may be 
subject of further investigation. In the sequel | shall have to 
notice another principle, on which, perhaps, it may fall to be 
explained. Whether accounted for or not, it is obvious that 
the fact itself is not invalidated by the theoretical difficulty ; and 
also, that im relation to the argument with regard to the nature 
of muriatic and oxymuriatic acids, it remains equally conclusive. 
In the doctrine of the undecomposed nature of chlorine, muriatic 
acid gas contains neither water nor oxygen, and the metal 
employed certaimly contains none. These are the only substances 
brought into action, and it is impossible that water should be a 
roduct of their operation. On the opposite doctrine, water is 
held to exist in muriatic acid gas to the amount of jth of its 
