206 On the Sea Water on the Coasts of France. [SEPf, 



appear to us sufficiently exact. We thought it better to take all the 

 soluble salts obtained from a litre of sea water from which the deli- 

 quescent muriates had been separated by alcohol. Nitrate of silver 

 was dropped into the solution previously very much diluted, as long 

 as any precipitate appeared. The muriate of silver obtained was 

 washed and dried ; its weight was 62 grammes, which corresponds 

 with 24 - 8 grammes of common salt. If to this we add the 0*3 

 gramme of common salt separated from the alcoholic solution of 

 the muriate of magnesia, we obtain a total of 25*1 grammes of 

 pure muriate of soda. 



From the experiments above detailed, we consider ourselves as 

 warranted to conclude, 



1. That a small quantity of the common salt contained in sea 

 water is carried off by distillation. This explains why, at a certain 

 distance from the sea, we find muriate of soda on the vegetation. 

 . 2. That sea water contains no muriate of lime. 



3. That it contains no sulphate of soda.* 



4. That muriate of magnesia is the only deliquescent salt in sea 

 water. From it comes the property which impure common salt has 

 of deliquescing in the air. 



5. That the water of the English Channel contains a little more 

 carbonic acid than that of the Mediterranean, owing probably to 

 its being of a lower temperature. 



The following table exhibits the constituents of these different 

 specimens of sea water, according to the result of our analyses : — 



♦ We have examined various specimens of the common salt of commerce, with- 

 out finding in it any muriate of lime or sulphate of soda. The muriate of magnesia 

 existed in smaller quantity than in the salt obtained by evaporating sea water. If 

 the salts which we examined came from sea water, we mu>t suppose that the mu- 

 riate of magnesia having deliquesced was partly absorbed by the sand over which 

 the water was evaporated. 



Hence in order to imitate sea water, whether taken internally or for bathing, it 

 is not sufficient simply to dissolve common salt of commerce in water. The mu- 

 riate of magnesia may have some action on the animal economy. It appears to 

 us, therefore, that iu order to be exact in the imitation of sea water, it would be 

 necessary to employ the proportions of salts pointed out by ut in a subsequent part 

 of this paper. 



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