COMBINATIONS OF OXIMURIATIC ACID AND METALS. |« 



similar production of oxigen when heat is applied to a mix- 

 ture of the deliquescent muriate and brown oxide of 

 copper. 



From these results, which perfectly a^ree with tho!«e ob- ^ sii!»inurat* 

 tained by eminent chemists on the Continent, who have ex- of copper, 

 amined different specimens of this mineral, it appears to be 

 a submuriate of copper, differing in a chemical point of 

 view from the deliquescent salt merely in containing a smal- 

 ler proportion of acid. 



The following experiments were made with the design of Analysis «fii, 

 ascertaining the proportions of its constituent parts. 



50 grains of the crystals in powder, boiled in a solution of 

 50 grains of potash, afforded 36*5 grains of brown oxide of 

 copper heated todull redness. 



Aud 20 grains dissolved in nitric acid, and precipitated 

 by means of nitrate of silver, afforded i2'9 grains of dry horii 

 silver. 



Hence, considering. the deficiency of weight as indicating 

 the quantity of combined water, 100 of the native submu- 

 riate of copper Fcem to consist of 



73-0 brown oxide r 15-8025 chlorine pitt'"^''^ 



l6*2 muriatic acid 



I -47 



10*8 water ^ 'A? hidrogen 



This analysis, allowance being made for the difference of 

 theory, nearly agrees with that of Klaproth. 



Mr. Proust, I believe, first discovered an artificial com- Methodsof 

 pound similar to the native submuriate of copper. He ob- formiHgasimi- 

 ^ . , . . ^, ^. c ^y -^ ' ^ f- l^"" compound 



tamed it m the preparation ot the nitro-munate ot copper, aftigcjaily^ 



and also by a partial abstraction of the acid of the deli- 

 quescent muriate by means of an alkali. I have found that 

 it may be procured in several other ways. It may be made 

 directly by adding the hyd rated blue oxide of copper to a 

 solution of muriate of copper; and it may be very readily 

 and economically prepared, by exposing to the atmosphere 

 slips of copper partially immersed in muriatic acid ; and it is 

 also produced by the exposure of cuprane to the atmosphere. 

 Its production in the last instance is accompanied with that 

 of deliquescent muriate ; and the formation of oolh seems to 

 be owing to the absorption of water and oxigen ; for cuprane 

 I have found, though apparently not in the least acted on 



by 



