ON THE UNCOMBINED ALKALI IN ANIMAL FLUIDS. O^J 



to be no longer deliquescent. It may also be united to mu- 

 riatic or other acids, especially the sulphuric and carbonic ; but 

 here is no evidence of soda in a free state, and even only equi- 

 vocal evidence of it as united to muriatic acid. 



II. The portion b, with sulphuric acid, gave sulphate of soda, 

 and sulphate of potash. 



Here he testimony is equivocal ; for the soda may be, and 

 most likely was, from the decomposition of muriate of soda 

 by the sulphuric acid. And the sulphate of potash may arise 

 from the decomposition of potash united to some acid, such as 

 carbonic, muriatic, &c. united, though weakly, to the other salts. 



Hence I perceive no evidence of soda in a free state. 

 III. The portion c, with nitric acid, afforded rhoniboidal crys- 

 tals, and no prismatical crystals. 



I will not repeat the objections I urged to any conclusion 

 from the form of crystals, especially in such minute portions of 

 matter as a small part of a grain, set forth so fully in a former 

 paper j but it may be right just to remark, that this experi- 

 ment is inconclusive and unsatisfactory : 1. because if all the 

 crystals were nitrate of soda, then all the saline mass must have 

 been soda j and 2dly, if only a part vi'as soda, and the rest 

 was muriate, then this must have been decompounded by the 

 nitric acid : but 3dly, if this could happen, then the whole of 

 the rhombs might be from the decompounded muriate of soda : 

 4thlyj if the whole of the crystals were rhombs of nitrate of 

 soda, what became of the cubical crystals of muriate of soda ? 



IV. The portion d, with oxymuriate of platina, gave a pre- 

 cipitate of potash oxymuriate of platina, and by evaporation 

 soda-muriate of platina. 



Here the questions occur, I. what are the proofs of soda 

 muriate of platina ? 2, What are the proofs, that soda mu- 

 riate of platina was from free soda, an(]( not from muriate of 

 soda ? 



To omit nothing supposed to be favourable to the adverse Why the alka- 



party, it must be noticed, that ""the carbonaceous alkaline ^'"^j".^**^'^ 

 t^ J ' ' not dehquMce. 



mass above spoken of after fusion did not deliquesce on ex- 

 posure to even damp air." I never met with such a result, at 

 least with expectorated matters, and dropsical fluids j and if 

 no deliquescence took place with the salts of serum of blood, 

 it is not unreasonable to account for it from the very small pro- 

 portion 



