NEITHER POTASH NOR AMMONIA. 453 



lime, muriate of magnesia, nitrate of strontian, 

 sulphate of copper, sulphate of zinc, nitrate of 

 mercury, were not precipitated. From these 

 properties, there could be no doubt that the acid 

 in the salt was chiefly the phosphoric. I now 

 dissolved a quantity of the salt in water, and 

 neutralized it exactly with sulphuric acid ; the 

 solution was then concentrated, and set aside. 

 It shot out into crystals of sulphate of soda, and 

 phosphate of soda, easily recognized by their 

 shape. 



To ascertain the proportions of the consti- 

 tuents, I dissolved 200 grains of the crystals in 

 water, neutralized the solution with nitric acid, 

 and precipitated by nitrate of lead. The preci- 

 pitate weighed 141*3 grains, equivalent to 28-26 

 grains of phosphoric acid. The residual liquid 

 contained no lead, but was entirely nitrate of 

 soda, weighing 109*5 grains, equivalent to 40*74' 

 grains of soda. Now, 28*26 grains of phospho- 

 ric acid require for saturation 32*297 grains of 

 soda. There remain 7*443 grains of soda, which 

 require for saturation 5*117 grains of carbonic 

 acid. 



Thus, the constituents of the salt are 



Phosphoric acid 28-260 or 14 



Carbonic acid 5-11? - 2-535 



Soda . . 40-740 - 20-182 



Water . . 125-883 - 62-36 



200-000 

 Ff 3 



