MUICIATIC ACID, 



xu. 



m 



41a the Probabiliiy that Muriatic Acid is coinpojid of Oxigm <i^id- 

 Hidrogen. In a Letter from Mr. J. M a k r i n . - ^ : 



SIR, ^"^ 



To Mr. NlCHOLSOxV, 



AjATE experiments in galvanifm have furnillied ftiffiei«nt Fafts indo«diJ5 



grounds to fufpe^l, that the muriatic acid is an oxide of ^^];°."''°^**'^ 



fudrogen, and I have been fomewhat flrengthened in this muriatic acid 



fuppofition by the well known hGt, that hidrogen gas is "»ay lie an oxide 



always liberated upon effe6ling a folution of tin in muriatic ° ' ^^^^^' 



acid ; this phenomenon has been accounted fur, by fuppofing 



the water which held the muriatic acid In folution to be 



<Jecompofed ; its oxigen feizing the metal which thereby 



became difpofed to be taken up by the acid and the hidro^ 



gen, the other conftituent part of the water being liberatedf 



under the form of gas : however plaufible this hypothefis 



might feem, I did not think it perfe6lly fatisfadory, for if 



the acid confifled of oxigen and hidrogen, part of the oxigen 



might unite to the metal to render it fit to be difToived by the 



remaining acid, and its hidrogen of courfe given out under 



the gafeous form, in this cafe no decompofition of the water 



Would take place, or at leaft thefe plienomena might hajl^en 



without that decompofition. To clear up thefe doubts I Experiment. 



procured an earthern tube into which was introduced fome ^"•'•atic acid 



• • , I ^ , , r c , gas difengaged 



iron wire; the tube was made to traverle a furnace; to the from decripcu- 



one end was luted a bent tube, brought under the ftielf of a ^^^ feafalt by 

 pneumatic trough, and to the other was adapted a tubulated was paffeVover 

 retort, cotUaining fome muriate of foda carefully freed from 'gnited iron. 

 its water of cryftallization When I fuppofed the iron wire J|,g'^fg^" ''"^ 

 was fufficiently ignited, I affufed fome denfe fulphuric acid 

 over the muriate of foda; as foon as the atmofpheric air 

 which the veflel contained was nearly expelled, hidrogen gas 

 was liberated from the other extremity of the tube in con- 

 fiderable quantities, mixed however wiih a fmall portion of 

 muriatic acid gas; after i^he operation had been fuffered to go 

 on fome time, the apparatus was taken to pieces, and 

 cryftals of muriate of iron were found in the tube. May 

 Voi. XIII,— Marcu, 1806. S we 



