ON THE WATER IN MURIATE OF AMMONIA. ]<)1 



inches was filled with dry ammoniacal gas; muriatic acid _ alt { . 

 gas, which had been exposed to muriate of lime, was added moisiure, 

 to it over dry quicksilver, a>.d successive portions of the two 

 gasses were introduced, until about 24 cubic inches of mu- 

 riatic acid gas had been combined, the salt formed condensing 

 over nearly the whole internal surface of the bottle. It was 

 then filled with dry ammoniacal gas, and, a stopper fitted to 

 it being introduced under the quicksilver, it was removed, 

 and accurately weighed in a very sensible balance. The 

 stopper was removed for a moment to allow the ammoniacal 

 gas to escape, and atmospheric air to enter in its place. The 

 bottle gained immediately 0*6 of a grain in weight from the 

 substitution of the one air for the other. The stopper was 

 again removed, and was placed in the scale, and no farther 

 weight was gained. At the end of five minutes it remained 

 perfectly the same, at the end of ten minutes it stdl remained 

 exactly balanced; at fifteen minutes it was still stationary; 

 at twenty minutes there appeared 1o be a very slight indi- 

 cation of increase of weight in the bottle ; at the end of half 

 an hour from the commencement of the weighing this was 

 more apparent, and amounted to about 2° on the scale of 

 the balance ; at the end of an hour it had increased to 5*; 

 and at the end of two hours to 10°. This total increase was 

 found equal to 0*5 of a grain; the salt collected from the 

 bottle weighed 13grs; being wrapped loosely in paper it re- 

 mained perfectly dry ; and after two days its weight was 

 found to be. as nearly as possible the same. 



The result of this experiment proves, that muriate of proves that it 

 ammonia formed by the combination of muriatic acid and does not ' 

 ammoniacal gasses absorbs no moisture from the air, or at 

 least none which can account for the production of water 

 from it when it is exposed to heat. Two or three minutes 

 are sufficient to transfer it from the vessel in which it is 

 formed to that in which it is heated. During this time, 

 and even for 15 minutes, it does not absorb the smallest 

 portion of moisture, for it gains no weight whatever; at the 

 end of an hour the increase of weight was not more than 

 0*25 of a grain; and the total increase at the end of two 

 hours was not equal to one fourth of the weight of water, 

 which the salt yields by heat. Nor is there any certaiuty, 



that 



