1810. JET. 32.] PROFESSOR DAVY. 363 



sulphuretted hydrogen and gaseous fluoric acid, nitrous 

 oxide, and oxymuriatic acid gas. 



5. To make a series of experiments upon the ores and 

 products of cast iron. 



6. To ascertain with greater precision than has been yet 

 obtained the nature of the acid matter formed in pure 

 water, oxygenated or not. 



7. To decompose fluoric acid gas, and to ascertain the 

 source of the hydrogen which it gives by the operation of 

 potassium. 



8. To make various experiments on the amalgamation of 

 ammonia, using different amalgams of mercury and different 

 modes of excluding water. 



9. To endeavour to bring the vcwp theory to a test 

 of producing oxygen from water without hydrogen. 



10. To decompose muriate of soda and litharge and other 

 bodies that contain no water by electricity, and to see what 

 happens. 



In the early part of 1810 the experiments were 

 chiefly on the action of potassium on sulphur and 

 phosphorus. 



From analogy oxygen had been considered as the acidi- 

 fying principle of the muriatic acid, or spirit of salt. 

 It was thought to combine with more oxygen, and then 

 was called oxygenated muriatic acid, although its powers 

 as an acid were weakened and it became more volatile 

 and bleached. 



Davy sent two papers to the Eoyal Society, on this 

 subject. The first was on July 12, ' Kesearches on Oxy- 

 muriatic Acid and the Elements of Muriatic Acid ; with 

 Experiments on Sulphur and Phosphorus,' and the 

 second, on November 15, was the ' Bakerian Lecture on 

 Some of the Combinations of Oxymuriatic Gas and 



