CHEMISTRY. 



65 



(elements 



01 



Chcmiitry. 



Boracium. 

 Potassium. 



Potaisane. 



Sodium. 



Ammonia. 

 Barium. 



Eariane. 



Strontium. 



StroatUnc. 



gcsted in water, it is decomposed and converted into 

 phosphoric and muriatic acids. 



5. We are not yet acquainted with the combina- 

 tion of boracium and chlorine. 



6. Chlorine readily combines with potassium, and 

 forms the compound usually distinguished by the 

 name of muriate of potash. Mr Davy proposes to 

 give it the name of potassane. 



When potassium is heated in chloric gas, it burns 

 with great splendour, and potassane is formed. The 

 tame compound is obtained when potash and chlorine 

 are brought in contact ; but in that case the oxygen 

 gas, which previously constituted one of the ingre- 

 dients of the potash, is evolved. When potash and 

 muriatic acid are brought in contact, water is form- 

 ed, and the same compound obtained. 



Potassane crystallizes in irregular cubes. Its taste 

 is salt, and rather bitter. It dissolves in thrice its 

 weight of cold water. Little altered by exposure to 

 the air. In a red heat it melts, and loses about three 

 per cent, of its weight. Not sensibly soluble in al- 

 cohol. 



According to the experiments of Mr Davy, it is 

 composed of 5.5.5 potassium, 



44-. 5 chlorine. 



100.0 



7. The combination of chlorine and sodium has 

 been known and in general use from the remotest 

 ages, under the name of common sail or muriate of 

 soda. Mr Davy has given it the name of suilane. It 

 exists abundantly in sea-water, from which it is ob- 

 tained by evaporation. Mines of it occur also in dif- 

 ferent parts of the world. It crystallizes in cubes. 

 Its taste is universally known, and is what strictly 

 speaking is denominated salt. It dissolves in rather 

 less than thrice its weight of water, and is nearly 

 equally soluble in cold and hot water. It is insoluble 

 in pure alcohol. It deliquesces somewhat when ex- 

 posed to moist air. In a red heat it melts and loses 

 about two per cent, of its weight. In a violent heat 

 it evaporates. 



Common salt, from the experiments of Mr Davy, 

 is composed of 40.17 sodium, 



59.83 chlorine. 



100.00 



8. As far as we know at present, chlorine has not 

 the property of combining with ammonia. 



9. Chlorine combines with barium, and forms the 

 compound usually distinguished by the name of mu- 

 riate of barytet. Mr Davy calls it bariane. 



This salt crystallizes in four-sided prisms, whose 

 bases are squares ; but it is obtained more commonly 

 in tablet. It has a pungent and disagreeable taste ; 

 and, like all other preparations of barytes, is poison- 

 ous. It requires rather more than twice its weight 

 of water to dissolve it. It is not sensibly soluble in 

 pure alcohol. It is not altered by exposure to the 

 air. In a red heat it melts, but is not decomposed. 



10. It combines with strontium, and forms the 

 compound usually distinguished by the name of mu- 

 riate ofttronlian. Mr Dnvy calls it stronliane. 



This salt crystallizes in long slender hexagonal 

 prisms, usually *o miuutc as to have the appearance 



VOL. VI. F ART I. 



of needles. It dissolves in rather less than its weight Element* 

 of cold water, while boiling water dissolves any quan- 

 tity of it whatever. It dissolves in about 24 parts of 

 pure alcohol. The crystals are not much altered by 

 exposure to the air. When heated they undergo the 

 watery fusion, and in a red heat are converted to a 

 white powder. 



11. Chlorine combines likewise with calcium, and Calcium, 

 forms the substance usually distinguished by the name 



of muriate of lime. Mr Davy calls it calciane. This Calcijne. 

 salt is not easily procured in crystals, on account of 

 its great solubility in water. Its crystals are six-si- 

 ded striated prisms, terminated by very sharp pyra- 

 mids. Its taste is very bitter and pungent. At the 

 temperature of 60 water dissolves tour times its 

 weight of this salt, and it dissolves any quantity what- 

 ever at the temperature of 100. Alcohol seems ca- 

 pable of dissolving more than its own weight of this 

 salt. This salt deliquesces very speedily when ex- 

 posed to the atmosphere. When heated, it melts and 

 loses its water of crystallization. In a violent heat 

 it loses also a portion of its acid, and then has the 

 property of shining in the dark. In that state, it is 

 called the phosphorus ofHomberg. 



12. Magnium, as far as we know at present, does Majjniimi. 

 not combine with chlorine. 



Mr Davy considers bariane, strontiane, and cal- 

 ciane, as composed of 32.9 of chlorine, combined with 

 71 barium, 46 strontium, and 21 calcium. 



13. The compound of gold and chlorine, usually Guld. 

 called muriate of gold, has not been accurately exa- 

 mined. It is a yellow coloured salt, having an acrid 

 taste, and deliquescing in the air. 



14. Neither are we well acquainted with muriate of Platinum. 

 platinum, which is in reality a compound of chlorine 



and platinum. 



15. Silver combines with chloric acid in the pro- Silver, 

 portion of 2 grains of the metal to -,Vhs of a cu- 

 bic inch of the gas. The compound is an insolu- 

 ble powder, usually called liom\ilver, or muriate of 

 si/trr. Mr Davy calls it argenla>ic. 



This salt ;s easily obtained, by pouring common Argentane. 

 salt into a solution of nitrate of silver. It is at first 

 a heavy white curdy precipitate, but it soon blackens 

 when exposed to the air. It is insoluble in water. 

 When heated to about 500, it melts into a jrrey co- 

 loured semi-transparent mass having some resem- 

 blance to horn, and formerly called lima cornea. 

 When heated with potash, or when boiled witli water 

 and iron filings, it is decomposed, and the silver re- 

 duced to the metallic state. It dissolves in ammo- 

 nia ; it is likewise soluble in muriatic acid, and by that 

 means may be obtained in octahedral crystals. One 

 hundred parts of dry muriate of silver contain -about 

 75.5 parts of pure silver. 

 Argentane is composed of 



75.5 silver, 



24.5 chlorine, 



100.0 



16. Chlorine combines in. two proportions with Mercury, 

 mercury, and forms two compounds of great impor- 

 tance, distinguished by the names of corrosive subli- 

 mate and colonel. The first is a compound of two 



grains of mercury, and 1.05 cubic inches of chloric 



