OS THE MURIATIC ACID IN ITS DIFFERENT STATES. S3S 



If, according to the ingenious idea of Mr. DaJton, hidro- Weights of dif- 

 gcn be considered as 1 in weight, in the proportion it g^'^j"^^*^ ^™^'^~ 

 exists in water, then oxigen will be nearly 75; and as- 

 suming that potash is composed of i proportion of oxi- 

 gen, and 1 of potassium, then potash will be 48, and po- 

 tassium * about 40*5 ; and from an experiment which f 

 have detailed in the last Bakerian lecture, on the combus- 

 tion of potassium in muriatic acid gas, oxirauriatic acid 

 wiH be represented hy 32*9, and muriatic acid gas, of 

 course, by 33-9; and this estimation agrees with the spe- 

 cific gravity of oximuriatic acid gas, and muriatic acid gas. 

 From my experiments, 100 cubical inches of oxirauriatic 

 acid gas weigh, the reductions being made for the moan 

 temperature and pressure, 74*5 grains ; whereas by esti~ 

 mation they should weigh 74'6. Muriatic acid gas I find 

 weighs, under like circumstances, in the quantity of iO<3 

 cubic inches, 39 grains ; hy estimation it should wei^h 

 S8"4 grains. 



It is easy from these data, knowing the composition of 

 any dry muriate, to ascertain the quantity of oxide or of 

 acid it would furnish by the action of water, and conse^ 

 quently the quantity of oxigen with which the infiammabh'. 

 Baatter will combine +. 



la 



* Supposing potash to contain nearly 15-6 percent of oxigen. 



f I have stated in the last Bakerian lecture, that, during the 

 decomposition of the amalgam from ammonia, 1 in volume ot 

 hidrogen to 2 of ajnmonia is evolved: it is remarkable, that what- 

 ever theory of the nature of this extraordinary compound be 

 adopted, there will be a happy coincidence as to definite propor- 

 tions. If it be supposed' that the liidrogeu arises from the decowj- 

 position of water ; then the oxigen, that must be assumed to exist 

 in .ammonia, will be exact!}' sufficient to neutralize the hidro- 

 gen in an equal volume of muriatic acid ; or if it be said, that am- 

 monium is a compound of 2 of ammonia and 1 of hidrogen in vo- 

 lume, then equal volumes of muriatic acid gas and ammonia will 

 produce the same compound as oximuriatic acid and ammonium, 

 supposing they could be immediately combined. I once thought. Modified pub' 

 that the phenomena of metallization might be explained accord- S'^^"= ^^^*"^« 

 bg to 3 modified phlogistic theory, by supposing three different 

 classes of metallic bodies : First, the metal of ammonia, in which 

 iiidrogen was so loosely combined as to be separable with great 



ease, 



