ANALYSIS OF NE13TRAL SALTS. QQj 



1 was fortunate enough however to discover it. It is as fol- l)a<;e which 

 jjj^g^ neutVaiizes it. 



•* In a compound formed by two oxided substances, that Law of the 

 which, in the circuit of the electrical pile, ranges itself P'^I'^"^*^^- 

 round the positive pole (the acid, for example) contains two, 

 three, four, five, &c. timesnsmuchoxigenasthatwhich ranges 

 itself round th<^ negative pole (for example, the alkali, earth, 

 metallic oxide)." This law, being applicable to many other 

 combinations beside salts, will soon impart to chemical ana- 

 lysis an unexpected degree of perfection. Most acids con- 

 tain twice as much oxigen, as the bases thai saturate them, 

 as the carbonic acid ; others three times as much, as the 

 sulphuric acid for instance; and others, as the hyper- 

 oximuriatic acid, as far as twice* as mucl». In all these 

 compounds water i^cts an important part : sometimes we 

 find it uniting as a base with the acids, for instance with 

 the crystallized vegetable acids and mineral acids ; and at 

 other times taking the place of an acid, and combining 

 with the alkalis, earths, and metallic oxides, forming what 

 we called hydrates. 



There is every appearance, that the muriatic acid con- Compoun(!s of 

 tains twice as tnuch oxigen as^ the bases that saturate it. ^^^ muriatic 

 In this case it is composed of 6^'3 oxigen, and o8'C base ; -g„^ ^' ^ °^'" 

 or 100 parts of the base combine with 150 of oxigen to 

 form common muriatic acid, with 234 to form oximuriatic, 

 ^nd with 624 to form the hyperoximuriatic. 



It is but very lately, that 1 have had an opportunity of Bulksofg^sse? 



reading the interesting work of Mr. Gay-Lussac on the '^^^'.^"'^^'''"^^ 

 -,,"„, , . 1 • • T • combination. 



bulks 01 the gasses that enter mto combmation. It is evi- 

 dent, that his experiments confirra a part of the ideas, which 

 I have had the honour to communicate to yon. They con- 

 tain facts, of which I have availed inyelf, to acquire informa- 

 tion on a subject, the knowledge of which it was highly 

 important to me to obtain. According to Mr. Gay-Lussac, Componndsof 

 100 cubic inches of carbonic oxide gas mixed with 50 cubic c^fboiand 

 inches of oxigen gas produce 100 cubic inches of carbonic ° 



* la the original 2 /om, but the figure is palpably erroneous from the 

 context. From the succeeding pari graph it shouid probably be y^owj 

 weight times instead of twice. C. 



