94 



properties of 

 the saline 



Perhaps mu- 

 riate of soda 

 only present. 



Proof of the 

 action of sul- 

 phate of am- 

 monia on mu- 

 ciatto of soda.' 



Proportions of 

 the sulphate 

 and muriate 

 determined iu- 

 direcftly. 



ALUMINOUS CHALYBEATE SPRING IN f. OP WIGHT. 



3. This saline mass being dissolved in water, the solution 

 had the following properties: 



a. It was neither acid nor alkaline. 



b. Its most obvious taste was that of muriate of soda. 



c. It formed copious precipitates with nitrate of barytes, 

 nitrate of silver, and nitrate of lime. 



d. Oximuriate of platina, oxalate of ammonia, and prus- 

 siate of potash, produced no precipitate whatever. 



Therefore the only salts contained in this solution were 

 sulphate of soda, and muriate of soda. 



4. As to the proportions of these two salts, it would have 

 been easy to ascertain them by precipitating their acids. But 

 it occurred to me, that the sulphate of ammonia formed in the 

 solution by the ammoniacal salts, which had been introduced 

 for the precipitation of the earths, had probably reacted 

 upon the muriate of soda when urged by heat, so as to de- 

 compose it partially, and form the sulphate of soda obtained 

 by the process just described ; so that muriate of soda might 

 perhaps in fact be the only alkaline salt contained in the 

 water. 



5- In order to ascertain this, another portion of the 

 chalybeate having been treated in the way just described 

 with succinate of ammonia, the residue was gradually 

 desiccated, and then heated to redness in a platina crucible, 

 which was at first kept closed, in order to retard the escape 

 of the sulphate of ammonia, and thus promote its actiop on 

 the muriate of soda. The remaining mass, being dissolved 

 and very slowly crystallized, assumed the form of clusters' 

 of regular prismatic efflorescent crystals of sulphate of soda, 

 among which scarcely any vestige of muriate of soda could 

 be discovered. 



6. The decomposition of muriate of soda by the above 

 process being thus well established, it became necessary to 

 determine the proportions of sulphate and muriate of toda by 



some 



salts evidently exert some degree of action on each other, as appeared 

 from the change of colour and the formation of reddish flakes, which t 

 suppose to be subsulphate of iron. 1 may take this opportunity of 

 mentioning, that by an analogous experiment on sulphate of iron and 

 muriate of alumine, and by the assistance of alcohol, I satisfied myself 

 th»t th.se twu salts could not exist together. 



