EXISTENCE 01? WATER IN tofoRIATIC GA§. t£ 



the state of perfect dryness, the muriate of ammonia, formed 

 by their mixture, contained water. A very ohvious quan- 

 tity of water was expelled from the salt, and it was argued, 

 that this water must hare formed a constituent part of the 

 muriatic gas, for it is now agreed, that pure ammonia con- 

 sists entirely of hidrogen and azote ', and from the terms of 

 the experiment it is supposed, that all moisture was removed 

 from both the gasses, and excluded from every part of the 

 apparatus, [n your Journal for March, a correspondent, The moisture 

 who signs himself A. B. C, undertakes to set aside the in- respondenftcs 

 ference from the above experiment. This he does* not by have been at- 

 showmg that either of the gasses, or any part of the appa^ jheatmw™ 

 ratus, contained water, nor by denying the existence of water phere. 

 in the result of the process as conducted by Mr. Murray, 

 (for these points appear to be admitted) but by attempting 

 to prove, that the muriate of ammonia had attracted mois- 

 ture from the atmosphere, while it was transferred from the 

 vessel in which it was originally formed, into the one to which 

 the heat waa applied ; and to prove this he relates an experi- 

 ment, in which newly formed muriate of ammonia attracted 

 water, simply by being *' removed through the atmosphere 

 *« into a dry tube.'* 



The experiments are in themselves curious, and are at The cxpcifi- 

 this time particularly interesting, as forming a part of the m ?. nts care * , 

 controversy respecting the constitution of muriatic acid. 

 From these considerations Dr. Traill made a proposal, to 

 which I very willingly assented, that weshould in conjunction 

 repeat the experiments of Mr. Murray and the correspon- 

 dent; that we should especially attend to every circum- 

 stance, by which moisture might be excluded ; that the 

 muriate of ammonia formed should be heated, without being 

 at all exposed to the air ; and that the quantity of moisture, 

 which it acquired from exposure to the atmosphere, should 

 be accurately ascertained. Before we entered upon thfe 

 process we resolved, that, provided no circumstance occur* 

 red to interrupt or defeat the experiments, the results, what- 

 ever they were, should be communicated to your Journal. 



Every circumstance as to the cleaning and drying the dif- Preparation ol 

 ferent parts of the apparatus, and the providing of the the rauri N c 

 necessary substances, being attended to, we commenced our 

 ' C a - operations 



