290, Dr. Murray on Muviatic Acid, [Aprin, 
__It is obvious that it would be in vain to seek for the discovery 
of real muriatic acid in its insulated form. It exists no more 
than real sulphuric or real nitric acid. The oxygen and sulphur, 
or oxygen and nitrogen in union with a salifiable base in the 
sulphates and nitrates, may not be in direct combination, nor 
capable of existing as a separate binary compound. The insu- 
lated binary compound of the radical of muriatic acid with 
oxygen is oxymuriatic acid, as the binary compound of sulphur 
and oxygen is sulphurous acid, and of nitrogen and oxygen, 
nitrous and nitric oxides. 
Iodine, the discovery of which and its relations has for a time 
given predominance to the new doctrine of chlorine, conforms. 
sufficiently to these views. Some have considered it as a body 
belonging to the same class as chlorine; others regard it as 
more analogous to sulphur. It has little analogy to either, 
except in the property of forming acids with oxygen and with 
hydrogen. It differs remarkably from chlorine in its compara- 
' tive inertness, its solidity, specifie gravity, and great weight of 
its equivalent quantity ; and it differs from sulphur in its want of 
inflammability, its solubility in water, and its being attracted to 
the positive pole of the voltaic series. All these analogies are 
preserved, and its relations connected, by considermg it as an 
oxide, which, both from its specific gravity, the colour of its 
compounds, and the great weight of its equivalent quantity, has 
robably a metallic base; and which acquires acidity by an 
addition of hydrogen on the one hand, and on the other by the 
addition of oxygen, or of oxygen and hydrogen. In these 
respects, and in many of its chemical properties and relations, a 
considerable analogy exists between it and oxide of arsenic or 
oxide of tellurium. Or if it were to be classed as a simple sub- 
stance (on the ground of its not having been decomposed), 
which forms an acid with hydrogen, and another with oxygen 
and hydrogen ; it does not in these respects offer any deviation 
compared with other acidifiable bases, or afford an argument of 
much weight in support of the undecomposed nature of chlorine. 
The doctrine I have illustrated affords a satisfactory explana- 
tion of the properties of the compounds formed by oxymuriatic 
acid with certain inflammables, particularly with sulphur and 
phosphorus. These undoubtedly present an anomaly in the 
other views that have been given of their constitution. In the 
old doctrine, they are considered as compounds of two real 
acids ; one of muriatic, with phosphorous or phosphoric acid ; 
the other of muriatic, with sulphurous or sulphuric acid. But 
vocal acid property, that of combining with alkalies, and forming neutral com- 
pounds, The saline nature of these compounds had been shown by Berthollet ; 
that with lime has been demonstrated by Mr, Dalton, who also pointed out the 
probability from the results by double decomposition, that the acid combines ina 
aimilar manner with other salifiable hases ; and the existence of these compounds 
has been established by Mr. Wilson, 
