OT^ THE MURIATIC ACID IN iTS DIFFERENT STATES. 3*2^ 



1 have caused strong explosions from an electrical jar, to Electvi:ity doas 

 pass through oximuriatic eras, by means of points of pla- ''°' ^compose 

 tina, for several hours in succession 3 but it seemed not to 

 undergo the slightest change. 



I electrized the oximuriates of phosphorus and sulphur or the otciithi-. 

 for some hours, by the power of the voltaic apparatus of '^'^^*].^ ° '\^'^'^"' 

 1000 double plates : no gas separated, but a minute quan-sulphur. 

 tity of hidrogen, which I am inclined to attribute to the 

 presence of moisture in the apparatus employed; for I 

 once obtained hidrogen from Libavius's liquor by a similar 

 operation; but I have ascertained, that this vpas owing to 

 the decomposition of water, adhering to the mercury ; and 

 in some late experiments made with 2000 double plates, in 

 which the discharge was from platina wires, and in which 

 the mercury used for confining the liquor was carefully 

 boiled, there was no production of any permanent elastic 

 matter. 



As there afe no experimental evidences of the existence of What is tTi* 

 oxigen in oximuriatic acid gas, a natural question arises, l]^'"^'^ °^ •^- 

 concerning the nature of those compounds, in which theriates? 

 muriatic acid has been supposed to exist combined with 

 much more oxigen than oximuriatic acid, in the state in 

 which it has been named by Mr. Chenevix hyperoxigenized 

 muriatic acid. 



Can the oximuriatic acid combine either with oxigen orDoesoximu. 



hidrogen, and form with each of them an acid compound ; "^^'^.^^''^ 



o ' "^ ' combine witli 



of which that with hidrogen has the strongest, and that both oxigen . 

 with oxigen the weakest affinity for bases? for the able^"*? ^''''"«gen? 



» . ^ , or IS hyperoxi- 



chemist, to whom I have just referred, conceives, that muriatic acid 

 hyperoximuriates are decomposed by muriatic acid. Or, is ^^^^^^^^ °^ '^ 

 hyperoximuriatic acid the basis of all this class of bodies, riatic? 

 the most simple form of this species of matter? . 



The phenomena of the composition and decomposition of 

 the hyperoximuriates may be explained on either of these 

 suppositions; but they are mere suppositions unsupported 

 by experiment. 



I have endeavoured to obtain the neutralizing acid, which Unsuccessful 

 has been imagined to be hyperoxigenised, from hyperoxi. ^ain7iype!ox?* 

 piuriate of potash, by various modes, but uniformly with- muriatic acii 

 out success. By distilling the salt with dry boracic acid, ^^P^'^'^- 



though 



