ANALYTICAL EXPERIMENTS ON MURIATIC ACID. Qf 



sources of errour ; and it was found, that there was no nota- 

 ble difference in the weight of the results. 



There was no proof then, that the muriatic acid had been Muriatic acid 



decompounded in these experiments; and there was every " as r ,°P'i 1Ir !. s . 



f , -.'.-. . one tnir d of its 



reason to consider it as containing in its common aeriform weight of wa- 



state at leaft one third of its weight in water; and this con- ter# 

 elusion we (hall find warranted by facts, which are imme- 

 diately to follow. 



I now made a number of experiments, with the hopes of Attempts to 

 obtaining the muriatic acid free from water. obtain it fre« 



x r- i , ! • • , . , , 1 • fr0rn thiS ' 



1 first heated to whiteness, m a well luted porcelain retort, »,.„.- 



r Muriate ot 



a mixture of dry sulphate of iron, and muriate of lime which lime distilled 



had been previoufly ignited; but a few cubic inches of gas w * th dl T sul " 

 *.,?., • • ■ phate of iron, 



only were obtained, though the mixture was in the quantity 



of several ounces; and this gas contained sulphureous acid. 



I heated dry muriate of lime, mixed both with phosphoric phosphoric 



glass and dry boracic acid, in tubes of porcelain, and of iron, g' 2SS > a "d dry 

 ° J r . boracic acid, 



and employed the blaft of an excellent forge ; but by neither 



of these methods was any gas obtained, though when a little 

 moisture was added to the mixtures, muriatic acid was deve- 

 loped in such quantities, as almoft to produce explofions. 



The fuming muriate of tin, the liquor of Libavius, is Muriate of tin 

 known to contain dry muriatic acid. I attempted to sepa- dls tijJ e d with 

 rate the acid from this fubftance, by diftilling it with sul- phosphorus. 

 phur and with phosphorus; but without success. I obtain- 

 ed only triple compounds, in phyfical characters something 

 like the solutions of phosphorus and sulphur in oil, which 

 were nonconductors of electricity, which did not redden dry 

 litmus paper, and which evolved muriatic acid gas with 

 great violence, heat, and ebullition, on the contact of water. 



I distilled mixtures of corrosive sublimate and sulphur, Muriates of 



and of calomel and sulphur. When these were used in their ™f r j Ur Y t i9r 

 r tilled with 



common states, muriatic acid gas was evolved; but when sulphur, 

 they were dried by a gentle heat, the quantity was exceed- 

 ingly diminished, and the little gas that was generated gave 

 hidrogen by the action of potassium. During the distilla- 

 tion of corrosive sublimate and sulphur, a very small quan- 

 tity of a limpid fluid passed over. When examined by 

 transmitted light, it appeared yellowish green. It emitted 

 fumes of muriatic a.cid, did not redden dry litmus paper, 

 Vol. XXIV— October, 1809- H and 



