]g DECOMPOSITION OF BORACIC ACID. 



1-8 oxigen to According to this result, boracic acid would consist oF one 



1 base. r t ] ie i n fl aimna ble matter to about 1*8 of oxigen; and the 



Oxide wiln _ , 



24 8 pei cent dark residual substance, supposing it to be simply the in- 

 of oxigen. flammable matter combined with less oxigen than is suffi- 

 cient to constitute boracic acid, would be an oxide, consist- 

 ing of about 4"7 of inflammable matter to 1*55 of oxigen. 

 Sources of er- These estimations, 1 do not however venture to give asen- 



rour both in ^ irely correct. In the analytical experiments, there are pro- 

 the analysis & J . » 



6ynthses. bably sources of errour, from the solution of a part of the 



inflammablematter; and it possibly may retain alkali, which 

 cannot be separated by the acid. In the synthetical pro- 

 cess, in which washing is employed, and so small a quantity 

 of matter used, the results are still less to be depended up- 

 on ; they must be considered only as imperfect approxima- 

 tions, 

 j. t i ie kase f From the general tenour of the facts it appears, that the 

 boracic acid combustible matter obtained from boracic acid bears the 



simple or com- same re ] a tion to that substance, as sulphur and phosphorus 

 pounded? . i , l . . 



do to the sulphuric and phosphoric acids. But is it an ele- 

 mentary inflammable body, the pure basis of the acid ? or 

 is it not, like sulphur and phosphorus, compounded? 



„,, , . ,. Without entering into any discussion concerning ultimate 



The dark olive i • 



substance most elementary matter, there are many circumstances, which fa- 



probabjy a Vour ^ e jd eaj that the dark olive, substance is not a simple 

 compound. . , ,...._ , r 



body; its being nonconducting, its change oi colour by be- 

 ing heated in hydrogen gas, and its power of combining 

 with the alkalis ; for these properties in general belong to 

 primary compounds, that are koown to contain oxigen. 

 j. , • , I heated the olive coloured substance with potassium, 



potassium. there was a combination, but without any luminous appear* 

 ance, and a gray metallic mass was formed ; but from the 

 effect of this upon water I could not affirm, that any oxigen 

 had been added to the metal, the gas given off had a pecu- 

 liar smell, and took up more oxigen by detonation than 

 pure hidrogen, from which it seems probable, that it held 

 some of the combustible matter in solution. 



It occuredt® me, that, if the pure inflammable basis were 

 Exposed to the , . 



action of po- capable of being deoxigenated by potassium, it would pro- 



tassmm in bably possess a stronger affinity for oxigen than hidrogen, 



and therefore be again brought to its former state by water. 



I made 



