NATURE OP OXIMURrA-Bi*^ ACID. QQf 



which relates to what he considers as a new gas, the opera- posed to ac- 

 tion of which, he supposes, serves to account for the pro- <=o"f^t for the 

 , . . ' . * production of 



duction of carbonic acid, which 1 have found to be the re- carbonic acid. 



suit of the mutual action of oximuriatic acid, carbonic ox- 

 ide, and hidrogen gasses. It is produced, he states, by ex- 

 posing a mixture of equal volumes of carbonic oxide and 

 oximuriatic gas to light, and he legards it as a compound of 

 these two gasses. 



I had already performed this experiment without obtain- Not produced 



ing the results he has described ; and I am not aware of any '" ®" expen- 

 ° " ment of Mr, 



fallacy, by which this can be accounted for ; there was no Murray's. 



sensible production of carbonic acid (the point I had it more 



particularly in view to asctertain by the experiment) and 



after agitation with water to remove the oximuriatic gas, 



the carbonic oxide was recognized by burning with its 



usual blue lambent fiame, and forming carbonic acid by its 



combustion. 



This result of the nonaction of oximuriatic gas on car- Oximuriatic 



bonic oxide gas, when both are perfectly dry, has been oxidegasses do 



lately asserted still more strongly by Gay-Luesac and The- nptactoneach 



nard, and thetermsthey employ are even unusually decided. ° '"* 



After observing, that the carburetted hidrogen gasses are 



acted on by OKirauriatic acid gas when exposed to light, they 



add " mais4 quelquedosequ'on ait m^!e le gaz acide mu- 



riatique oxigene sec, et le gaz oxide de carbone prepare 



avec le fer et le carbonate de barite, quelque fort qu' ait 



ete la lumiere ^ laquelle on les a exposes, enfin quelque 



long qu' ait etele contact, il n'y a point eu d'action*". If I 



have been deceived therefore, i is in common with chemists 



of the highest reputation for the ccuracy and delicacy of 



their experimental researches. These circumstances how- 



ever lead me rather to believe, that there s some peculiarity 



necessary to the success of Mr. J. Davy's experiment. I unless possibly 



know sufficiently the disadvantage to which any experi- "° ^^ peculiar 



♦ Recherches Physico Chemiques, T. 2d, p. 192. 



[•• But in whatever proportions we mixed dry oxigenized muriatic 

 acid gas, and carbDnic oxide gas procured by means of iron and caiboncite 

 ofbarytes, however strong the light to which they were ex(>ose<l, .id 

 lastly however long they remained in contact^ no action between them 

 topk place." C ] 



Q 2 mentalist 



