NIT 



506 



NOB 



justices of the same county. The purport 

 of the writ is this : the sheriff is com- 

 manded to bring to "Westminster the men 

 impanelled at a certain day, before the 

 justices nisi prius justiciarii ad assisas ca- 

 piendas venerint, that is, unless the jus- 

 tices shall first come into the county to 

 take assizes, which they always do in the 

 vacation preceding each Easter and Mi- 

 chaelmas term. Hence courts directed to 

 try matters of fact in the several counties, 

 are called Nisi Pritis or Nisi Prius Courts. 



NITID'ULA. A genus of coleopterous 

 insects of the pentamerous division, of 

 which Colobicus, Thymalus, Ips, Cercus, 

 and Byturus, are subgenera. 



NI'TRB, wrg, saltpetre. Nitrate of pot- 

 ash, found ready formed in the East In- 

 dies, in Spain, in the kingdom of Naples, 

 and some other places, in considerable 

 quantities. It is an important ingredient 

 in the manufacture of gunpowder, and 

 from it we obtain nitric acid. 



NIT'RIC ACID. An acid composed of 

 nitrogen and oxygen, and obtained by the 

 action of sulphuric acid on nitrate of pot- 

 ash (nitre) with the aid of heat. Nitric 

 acid cannot be isolated. For the purposes 

 of the arts it is commonly used in a dilute 

 state, and generally contaminated with 

 sulphuric and muriatic acids, under the 

 name of aquafortis, of which there are 

 two kinds: double aquafortis, which is 

 about half the strength of nitric acid, and 

 tingle aquafortis, which is again about 

 half the strength of the double. A mix- 

 ture of nitric acid (2 pts ) with hydrochlo- 

 ric acid (1 pt.) forms aqua regia, the only 

 solvent of gold and platinum. Pure nitric 

 acid is perfectly colourless. 



:XIT'IUC OXIDE. Dentoxide of nitrogen. 



NIT'RITE. A salt formed by combination 

 of nitrous acid with a salifiable base. 



NIT'ROGEN, from VLTpOV, nitre, and 

 yewaci), to generate. A gaseous principle, 

 called also azote, constituting four-fifths of 

 our atmosphere. It is neither combustible 

 nor a supporter of combustion ; possesses 

 neither taste nor smell, and does not com- 

 bine directly with any known substance, 

 though indirectly it unites with oxygen (in 

 fire proportions), hydrogen, and carbon, and 

 forms some of the most energetic compound! 

 we possess. Mixed with oxygen it consti- 

 tutes atmospheric air ; united with oxygen 

 it forms aquafortis ; united with hydrogen 

 it forms ammonia, and with hydrogen aud 

 carbon it forms prussic acid. It enters 

 largely into the composition of animal 

 bodies. Sp. gr. 0'9722. 



NITROGLYCERINE, TRINITRINE, or TRI- 

 HITRO -GLYCERINE. A violent and dangerous 

 explosive body produced by the action of 

 concentrated nitric acid on glycerine. 

 Three atoms of typical hydrogen are thereby 

 replaced by N O,j 



Ni'-rr.u-i.Et'cic ACID. "When leucine is 

 dissolved in nitric acid, and the solution 

 evaporated to a certain point, it passes 

 into a crystalline mass, which, being 

 pressed between blotting paper and re- 

 dissolved in water, yields by concentration 

 fine, divergent, and nearly colourless nee- 

 dles of nitro-leucic acid. It unites with 

 bases, and forms salts which fuse on red- 

 hot coals. 



NI'TUO-MURIAT'IC ACID, ) Aqua 



NI'TRO-HYDROCHLOR.'JC ACID. / regia. 

 When nitric acid (2 pts.) and muriatic 

 acid (1 pt.) are mixed together, they be- 

 come yellow, and acquire the power of 

 readily dissolving gold and platinum, 

 which" neither of them possesses separate- 

 ly. The acids by mixture are partially 

 decomposed, and water, chlorine, and 

 nitrous acid gas, are produced, so that 

 aqua regia is really a mixture of chlorine, 

 nitrous acid, and water. 



NI'TRO-NAPH'THALASE. A compound ob- 

 tained from the action of nitric acid on. 

 naphthaline. 



NI'TRO-SULPHC'RIC ACID. An acid re- 

 sulting from the mixture of one of nitre 

 and eight or ten of sulphuric acid. 



NI'TRCUS ACID. An acid which is most 

 easily obtained by exposing nitrate of 

 lead to heat in a glass retort, when the 

 acid in question comes over in the form, 

 of an orange-coloured liquid. Boils at 

 82. 



NI'TROUS GAS. Nitric oxide ; deutoxide 

 of nitrogen. A colourless, elastic, gaseous 

 body, which has no sensible taste, and is 

 neither alkaline nor acid. It is exceed- 

 ingly hurtful to animals, producing in- 

 stant suffocation whenever they attempt 

 to breathe it. It combines with oxygen, 

 and forms nitrous acid gas. 



NI'TROCS OXIDE. Protoxide of nitrogen, 

 called also laughing-gas, from the peculiar 

 pleasurable excitement, ottcn accom- 

 panied with laughter, which it produces 

 upon those who inhale it. It was dis- 

 covered by Dr. Priestley in 1772, but was 

 first accurately described by Sir H. Davy 

 in 1799. It is readily obtained by heating 

 nitrate of ammonia in a glass retort by 

 means of a spirit lamp. It has been called 

 gaseous oxide of nitrogen. 



NI'ZAM. The title of great officers of 

 state in the Asiatic governments. 



NI'ZAM VT ADAIVLET. Acourt of criminal 

 justice in India. 



N. L., for MOM liqvet, it does not appear. 

 A form of verdict in ancient law, equi- 

 valent to the ignoramus of a modern grand 

 jurv. 



NOA'CHIAN DELI-GE. The deluge related 

 by Moses, and from which only Noah and 

 his family were saved. 



NOBIL'ITY. Rank conferred by express 

 authority of the governing power. The 

 hereditary nobility of all European swut 



