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Mr. J. Y. Buchanan on the Absorption of 



Five experiments were made with sea-water taken at the end of 

 Portobello Pier, on the Firth of Forth. In the first three it was sub- 

 mitted immediately to the same treatment as the saline solutions ; in the 

 last two carbonic acid was first passed through it for some time. As the 

 results given in the following Table are identical, it is evident that, in 

 its natural state, the water in question was saturated with carbonic acid 

 in this peculiar state of combination. 



Experiments on Sea-water. 



Subsequent experiments made at sea, on water from mid-ocean and 

 from various depths, have shown me that the above quantities are very 

 much in excess of the quantities usually contained in ocean-water. From 

 the large quantity of organic matter poured into the Forth, not far from 

 Portobello, there must be an abundant production of carbonic acid in the 

 water itself, and we have seen above the effect of bringing sulphate of lime 

 and carbonic together in the nascent state. Sea-water contains, on an 

 average, about 8 parts sulphate of lime in 10,000. A saturated solution 

 of the same salt in distilled water contains at 15 C. 24 parts in 10,000. 



