424 MM. Liebig and Gay-Lmsac on [June, 



with amer was the only means of clearing up this subject ; but 

 having been able to give but little time to the preparation of 

 this substance, and not having succeeded in attaining a quantity 

 sufficiently pure, we have been compelled to defer this analysis 

 to a future period. 



The nature of the fulminates appearing to be determined, we 

 made some attempts to separate the fulminic acid from them ; 

 but they were all unsuccessful : for either the fulminates are not 

 decomposed by the acids, or, when they are, the fulminic acid 

 is so also, and yields peculiar products, respecting which we are 

 going to offer some observations, although they are incomplete. 



The muriatic, hydriodic, and hydrosulphuric acid, decompose 

 fulminate of silver, even when cold ; with muriatic acid much 

 hydrocyanic acid is evolved, but neither ammonia nor carbonic 

 acid is perceptible. A peculiar acid containing chlorine, car- 

 bon, and azote, is formed, which is easily obtained by pouring a 

 little muriatic acid upon fulminate of silver, until the filtered 

 fluid is no longer rendered turbid by the acid. It possesses the 

 following properties : 



Its taste is sharp ; it reddens litmus paper strongly ; it does 

 not precipitate nitrate of silver ; neutralizes bases ; and then 

 possesses the property of colouring the perchloride of iron of 

 a deep red colour ; it acquires it also after some hours' ex- 

 posure to the air, because a portion of it is decomposed which 

 produces ammonia that saturates the other part ; heat accele- 

 rates this decomposition. When combined with potash and 

 evaporated to dryness, ammonia is obtained, and the residuum 

 effervesces with acids, and precipitates nitrate of silver. 20*70 

 parts of fulminate of silver, accurately decomposed by muriatic 

 acid, yielded 19-84 of chloride of silver, which were separated 

 from the filter by means of ammonia. 



The new acid being mixed with hydrocyanic acid, which, as 

 is well known, precipitates nitrate of silver, we employed the 

 following process to determine the quantity of chlorine which it 

 contains. We added to the acid potash in excess, and towards 

 the end of the evaporation, carried on in a platina crucible, we 

 added nitre, and made it red-hot, to decompose the cyanogen ; 

 we afterwards saturated the pure alkali, and precipitated by 

 nitrate of silver. The weight of the chloride of silver obtained 

 amounted to 48*20 parts, which is almost two and a half times 

 greater than the weight of the chloride obtained by decomposing 

 the fulminate by muriatic acid. In another experiment, the 

 two quantities of chloride of silver were in the proportion of 

 17-62 to 44-25, which are also those of 1 to 2-5. 



If these results are correct, it cannot be admitted that all the 

 chlorine exists free from hydrogen in the new acid ; for the ful- 

 minate of silver, containing only 4 proportions of oxygen and 2 

 of cyanogen, could only take the hydrogen of 6 proportions of 

 muriatic acid, supposing that all the cyanogen was changed into 



