IQ DECOMPOSITION OF BORACIC ACID. 



stance occasions some beautiful phenomena. When this 

 gas is brought into contact with it at common temperatures, 

 it instantly takes fire, and burns with a brilliant white light ; 

 a white substance coats the interior of the vessel in which 

 the experiment is made, and the peculiar substance is found 

 covered by a white film, which by washing affords boracic 

 acid, and leaves a black matter, which is not spontaneously 

 inflammable in a fresh portion of the gas ; but whieh in- 

 flames in it by a gentle heat, and produces boracic acid. 

 Heated in hi- The peculiar inflammable substance, when heated nearly 

 drogun or m- t0 rt;( j ness m hidrogen, or nitrogen, did not seem to dissolve 

 in these gasses, or to act upon them ; it merely gained a 

 darker shade of colour, and a little moisture rose from it, 

 which condensed in the neck of the retort in which the ex- 

 periment was made. 

 Its action on On the fluid menstrua containing oxigen it produced ef- 



fluids contain- f ec t Sj w hich might be looked for from the phenomena of it9 



ing oxigen : 



agency on gasses. 



nitric acid, When thrown into concentrated nitric acid, it rendered it 



bright red, so that nitrous gas was produced and absorbed ; 

 but it did not dissolve rapidly, till the acid was heated ; 

 when there was a considerable effervescence, the peculiar 

 substance disappeared, nitrous gas was evolved, and the fluid 

 afforded boracic acid. 



sulphuric acid, It did not act upon concentrated sulphuric acid, till heat 

 was applied ; it then produced a slight effervescence; the 

 acid became black at its points of contact with the solid ; 

 and a deep brown solution was formed, which, when neutra- 

 lized by potash, gave a black precipitate. 



muriatic acid, When heated in a strong solution of muriatic acid, it gave 

 it a faint tint of green ; but there was no vividness of action, 

 or considerable solution. 



& acetic acid. On acetic acid heated it had no perceptible action. 



It combined It combined with the fixed alkalis, both by fusion and 



with fixed al- a q Ueous solution, and formed pale olive coloured com- 

 pounds, which gave dark precipitates when decomposed by 

 muriatic acid. 



It? action on When it was kept long in contact with sulphur in fusion, 



sulphur, it slowly dissolved, and the sulphur acquired an olive tint. 



phosphorus ^ was stl ^ * ess act< *d upon by phosphorus, and after an 



hour's 



