^lUKIATIC ACID. 13^ 



vir. 



Experiments made at the Galvanic Society of Paris, by M. RiF- 

 FANT, Diredor of the Nitre and Gunpoivder Works, tending 

 to prove that Muriatic Acid is not compofcd as announced 

 by M. Pachiani *. 



l\S Toon as the Galvanic Society knew that M. Pachiani, The galvanic 

 of Pifa, had announced, that he had obtained muriatic acid in^experimen^ 

 by depriving water of a portion of its oxigen, their firft care to determine the 

 was to engage in a courfe of experiments both by galvanifm chiani°s oofi'tion 

 and eleftricity, to obtain, if it was poffibie, a confirmation 

 of a difcbvery fo important to the progrefs of fcience. The 

 fociety had a letter communicated to them, which was ad- 

 dreiTed on the 9th of May, 1805, by M. Pachiani, to M. 

 Pignotti ; in which he recited the refults which he had ob- 

 tained, but without entering into any detail relative to the 

 nature or order of his experiments ; they only knew that he 

 ufed the galvanic pile. They therefore determined to make 

 their experiments with the fame apparatus, in the manner 

 which appeared to them the leaft likely to produce refults 

 liable to obje6lions. Two of thefe experiments, which ap- 

 peared principally worthy of attention, were conduced as 

 follows : 



Experiment I. 

 A portion of a new glafs tube was taken, three inches Defcription of 

 long, and 0.35 inch in diameter infide, one of the ends ,^,'j.f^7_P^''fJ*^, 

 of this tube was clofed at the lamp; to the other end was 

 united a capillary tube bent in fuch a manner as to pafs under 

 ajar, and at equal diftances from the junction of the capil- 

 lary tube, two points were drawn out at the lamp in the 

 thicknefs of the glafs, by means of which two bits of gold 

 wire of about 0.02 inch in diameter, and of the ftandard 

 0.976 of purity, were inferted in the tube, at a fmall diftance 

 from its lower extremity, and difpofed fo as not to touch each 

 other, or bear againft the fides of the tube; thefe points 

 of the glafs were then clofed at the lamp. The tube and its 

 capillary prolongation were filled with diftilled water, whofe 



* Journal (te Phyfique^ Tom, IXI. p. 2S1, 



purity 



ufed in Exp. ifl^ 



