EXPERIMENTS ON MURIATIC ACID GAS. 129 



preceding experiment, an additional quantity of water was 

 expelled from the muriate, its separation being aided by 

 the mechanical effect of the charcoal, which, while it im- 

 peded the sublimation of the salt through the whole length 

 of the tube, would allow the more highly elastic watery 

 iapour to pass. At the same time a portion of this water 

 buffered decomposition, producing, by combination of its 

 #ltraeuts with the charcoal, carbonic acid, and carburetted 

 &r oxicarburelted hidrogen gas. The quantity of carbonic 

 acid was from 1 to 1'3 cubic inch, estimated from the di- 

 toinution of volume. 



In both these experiments then, or rather in these two Water in the 

 stages of the same experiment, the presence of water in the ****° '^ 

 Compound formed by the union of muriatic acid gas with 

 dry ammoniacal gas is demonstrated. Its disengagement 

 from the salt in the first stage of the experiment was not in 

 the least ambiguous, and the quantity was even consider- 

 able in relation to the quantity of acid gas employed, being 

 ^qual to a ninth of its weight. And, as has been already 

 femarked, this cannot be supposed to be the whole. 

 Had there been no sensible production of water, the presence 

 of any in the gasses combined could not have been inferred ; 

 and it could not therefore have been inferred with certainty, 

 that any existed in the concrete salt. But since water was 

 jf)roduced, and its existence in one or both of the elements 

 of the salt is thus demonstrated, it is farther certain, if we 

 can rely on any conclusion from the most strict and exten- 

 sive analogy, that tbe whole quantity could not be expelled 

 by the heat applied. 



In the second stage of the experiment, the disengagement and in the 

 of a farther portion of water was abundantly evident, *^*^' 

 though, from the nature of the experiment, it was difficult 

 to ascertain its quantity with the same precision. Judging 

 from the appearance of the condensed moisture in the curved 

 glass tube, and in the jars, the quantity was nearly equal to 

 that condensed in the first stage of the experiment; and to 

 this is to be added the quantity decomposed by the ignited 

 charcoal, which formed the carbonic acid and carburetted 

 hidrogen. Adding these, and taking the average of the ex- 

 periments, I would not hesitate in estimating it equal to 

 Vol. XXXI.—Feb. 1812. K the 



