EXPERIMENTS ON MURIATIC ACID GAS. 131 



"log experiments, is nearly the same*. Althougli it is not 

 necessary, that the quantity should be proved to amount to 

 this, to refute Mr. Davy's hypothesis, and establish the 

 common theory, yet it is satisfactory to have this coinci- 

 dence. And it must be farther admitted as a proof, that the 

 oxigen of these oxides has no share in the production of this 

 ■water : for it is obvious, that, were the water, which is 

 deposited when muriatic acid gas acts on metallic oxides* 

 on the fixed alkalis, or the earths, formed by the oxigen of 

 these substances, and not derived from the gas as previously 

 existing in it, there can be no production of it in the mutual 

 action of muriatic acid gas and ammonia, as ammonia can- 

 not afford oxigen. Since it is produced in that action it 

 must be derived from the muriatic acid gas, and the same 

 origin must be assigned to it in the other combinations of 

 this acid. 



This experiment then has the advantage of being conclu- The experi- 

 T ,-,ni i^j- • ii-i-i. /.mentscon- 



sive on the subject or the present discussion ; the state ot elusive, 



the fact only requires to be ascertained, and with due pre- 

 caution this is not difficult of attainment. There is at least 

 nomodeof accounting for the production of water, but by 

 assumptions so gratuitous and unfounded, as to be equal to 

 the refutation of the theory. Such is the only assumption 

 that can be made — that the water may be derived from the 

 ammoniacal gas, and not from the muriatic acid gas. When for the water 

 ammoniacal gas is dried by potash or lime, no water can be "cr^hed To tht 

 discovered in it by any test, nor is there any fact which atfords ammoniacal 

 a presumption that it contains water; the supposition there- S^^» 

 fore that it does would be purely gratuitous, obviously 

 advanced to support an hypothesis. But farther, 

 dry ammoniacal gas is resolved by the action of electricity 



» The estimate by Gay-Lussac of the quantity of water in muriatic 

 acid gas being equal to l-4th of its weight is inferred from experiments, 

 in which the product of the combination of the acid with the base is 

 insoluble, and appears to have no affinity to water, as muriate of silver 

 «r of lead. It may be inferred, therefore, to retain little or none of the 

 water of the acid, and hence the production of water to the amount of 

 l-5th Or eVen l-6th of the weight of the acid, iu au experiment where 

 the product must retain a portion of the water combined with it, is a 

 near coincidence. 



K2 into 



