SI4 ON THR NATURE OP OXIMLRIATIC GAS. 



which it is mmt confidently contlutled, that muriatic acid. 

 gas contains water, and that Mr. Davy's theory is tin- 

 foanded, and not to be maintained except by meuns of the 

 most unreasonable assumptions. * 



I«3 iT^sixfi m« At first view the result appears improbable, and opposed 

 ^V^*" by several facts j and in a very short time I was convinced 



by experiments, that it was incorrect. The results, that 

 led me to this conclusion, I shall describe, after I have 

 stated more conclusive evidence. 

 J^ Vhurr re- '^^'^ muriate of ammonia, on which Mr. Murray operatedj 

 ffaseid the ex- ^gg exposed to the atmosphere in both stages of his experi- 

 wsfeoiac ob- KJent previous to distillatvou, Mr. Uavy, my brother, par- 

 lasamg water, tirularfy pointed out this circumstance to me; and at the 

 same time informed me, that he had not observed the slight- 

 est truces of moisture in making the experiment on a large 

 scale in exhausted vessels ; and assured me, that I should 

 not, was not the salt exposed to the atmosphere. 

 Trw expert- In repeating the experiment, which, if accurately made,, 



^MSry! ^^"''^ """^ ^'^'^ "^^ '"'''"S decisive, I used two mercurial 

 troughs ; one for preparing the gasses, the other for combin- 

 ing them in. About 30 cubic inches of each gas were em" 

 ployed. The combination made in a small retort, the 

 capacity of vvhicb was about 3 cubic inches, and over well 

 dried mercury ; and only one cubic inch of amraoniacal gas 

 ^vas added at a time to one cubic inch of muriatic acid gas, 

 so that all the muriate was collected in the upper and curv- 

 ed part of the retort. Heat almost sufficient to occasion the 

 sublimation of the salt was applied for about ten minutes, 

 i-!fl nc -water bnt no water was produced : agreeably to my brother's re- 

 j'TcciiJcea : gyjf^ |,Qj gv^n tlje slightest traces appeared. 

 >3i wifich vea- ^ ^^^^ followed Mr. Murray's example, and collected the 

 iisf itppe-arfd salt in the atmosphere, and introduced it into another re- 

 ZJ'^pl^i^r ^ ^^"^^ ' ^^^'-'"5 ^^^t being applied, water in no inconsiderablp 

 shroagh ihe quantity was evolved as he described. 



tV' ^, Thus we have a demonstration, that the water liberated in 



it -waisUeiived Mr. Murray's experiment was not derived from the muriatic 

 h'o^m the ^^.■^^ ^^^ ^^.^^^ ^^^ atmosphere. 



ata>ospheie. . , . 



Smi.&sof ^^'^ errour appears to have arisen partly from too great 



Mr. Murray^s confidence placed in \h,e accuracy of his experiment ; and 

 '»'^'^^^- * partly 



