J go COMBINATIONS OF OXIMUEIATIC ACID AND METALS. 



very deliquescent substance 5 on this account it is necessary 

 to weigh it in water to avoid errour. 49*5 grains of it, thus 

 weighed, dissolved entirely in water, with the exception of 1 

 grain of oxide of zinc, which was separated by decantaiion, 

 and dried and ignited, and its quantity ascertained to be as 

 stated. The solution precipitated by nitrate of silver afforded 

 gg grains of dried horn silver. Hence, excluding the 1 grain 

 of oxide, 100 of butter of zinc seem to consist of 



50 chlorine 



50 zinc 



100 



This compound may be called zincane. 

 Puming liquor A compound of chlorine and arsenic has been long known, 

 of arsenic. bearing the name of the fuhaing liquor of arsenic. It may be 

 formed in several ways : by the combustion of arsenic in chlo- 

 rine gas ; by heating in a retort a mixture of arsenic and cor- 

 rosive sublimate, or of arsenic and calomel j and by the distil- 

 lation of muriate of arsenic with concentrated sulphuric acid. 

 The old method by means of corrosive sublimate appears best 

 adapted for procuring it in a pure state. About 6 parts of 

 corrosive sublimate to 1 of arsenic are, I find, proper propor- 

 tions- The mixture of the two substances should be intimate, 

 and the heat applied to the retoit for the distillation of the 

 fuming liquor, gentle. When the liquor was not colourless at 

 first, I have purified it by a second distillation. 

 Its properties. The fuming liquor of arsenic, it is well known, is decern- 

 posed by water. The precipitate produced appears to be 

 merely white oxide of arsenic, for, independent of other cir- 

 cumstances, it does not aflbrd the fuming liquor when heated 

 witk strong sulphuric acid. 



The fuming liqucr, when gently heated, dissolves phospho- 

 rus, but it retains on cooling only a very small portion of this 

 substance. The warm solution is not luminous in the dark. 



The fuming liquor also, when warm, readily dissolves sul- 

 phur ; indeed sulphur fused in the liquor seems capable of 

 .combining or of mixing with it in all proportions ; but on cool- 

 ing the greatest part of the sulphur is deposited, and assumes 

 a fine crystalliHe appearance ; the form of the crystals was 

 apparently the octahedron. This deposition seems to be merely 



sulphur 



