374. Hl. Wurtz’ Contributions to Analytical Chemistry. 
eration that, according to Gay-Lussac, the products in the earlier 
stages of the reaction are chiefly chlorine and NO?CI?, the latter 
consisting of equal volumes of nitric oxyd and chlorine, while 
Ki. Davy,* in an earlier examination of this very case, namely 
the action of nitric acid upon chlorid of sodium, actually found 
a gaseous product composed of nitric oxyd and chlorine in equal 
olumes.. The color of the evolved gas moreover corresponds to 
that attributed by Gay-Lussac to the gas evolved by aqua regia, 
namely brownish-yellow, and I find, upon comparison of the two 
gaseous mixtures, that the only difference distinguishable by the 
eye is a greater depth of color on the part of that evolved by 
the chlorid of sodium. In order to ascertain whether the gas 
A m.—In Dr. Smith’s investigation of the action of 
nitric acid upon sal-ammoniac, he has shown that the chief pro- 
duct of this reaction is nitrous oxyd.t On his results he has 
founded his highly important method of removing sal-ammoniac 
in the process of analysis, a method which I have frequently 
niac 
the Dedtath (much below ebullition), in most cases no resi¢ 
whatever is left. Cases however have occurred to me In W 
a quantity of nitrate of ammonia was formed, that proved more 
troublesome to get rid of than the original sal-ammoniac. fic 
may have depended on the relative proportions of acid and chio- 
ridin the mixture, but of this point I have made no exal 
ination,t 
t y ote). ae fi 
} With regard to the character of the reaction in this decomposition, i 5 
recounting the results of some partial experiments to determine the naturé “- 
ion resul an 
that such is not the case, and that all but a very small portion of tl ST ae 
its equivalent of nitric acid is converted into NO; the liberated h drochloric acid 
xing wi cess of nitric acid; a little of the sal-ammon ) 
does undergo the decomposition first supposed, and in this way only can 
amounts o rine and nitrogen be accounted for.” ailable, I am 
_ Upon considering this subject from every point of view at present av nitric acid 
led to ask the question whether ai! the reactions of this class, in which, sare 
comes into contact with another substance containing hydrogen or an ele 
Pb — Neer - 
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