244 COMPOUND OF CARBONIC OXIDE AND OXIMURIATIC GA*. 



was produced, and the muriatic and carbonic acid gasses 

 were formed. 

 but q»ickly by The gas transferred to water was quickly decomposed, 

 svat er * the carbonic and muriatic acids were formed, as in the last 



experiment, and the effect was the same even when light was 

 excluded. 

 Nature ©f the F rom tne mode of the formation of the gas and the con- 

 compound, densation that takes place at the time, from the results of 

 the decomposition of its ammoniacal salt, and from the 

 analysis of the gas by metals and metallic oxides, it appears 

 to be a compound of carbonic oxide and chlorine condensed 

 into half the space which they occupied separately. 

 Seemingly an And from its combining with ammonia, and forming with 

 acid. this alkali a neutral salt, and from its reddening litmus, it 



seems to be an acid. It is similar to acids in other respects? 

 in decomposing the dry subcarbonate of ammonia, one part 

 in volume of it expelling two parts of carbonic acid gas ; and 

 in being itself not expelled from ammonia by any of the 

 Its attraction ac '^ gasses, or by acetic acid. Independant of these cir- 

 /or ammonia cumstances, were power of saturation to be taken as the 

 measure of affinity, the attraction of this gas for ammonia 

 must be allowed to be greater than that of any other sub- 

 stance, for its saturating power is greater; no acid condenses 

 so large a proportion of ammonia; carbonic acid only con- 

 denses half as much, and yet does not form a neutral salt. 

 The great saturating and neutralizing powers of this gas are 

 singular circumstances, and particularly singular when 

 compared with those of muriatic acid gas. 

 lt« relation to In consequence of its being decomposed by water, I have 

 the fixed alka- no t been able to ascertain whether it is capable of combining 

 ' with the N fixed alkalis. Added to solutions of these sub- 

 stances it was absorbed, and carbonic acid gas was disen- 

 gaged by an acid. 

 It does not de- * nave wa ^ e tne experiment on the native carbonates 

 compose car" of lime and barytes, but the gas did not decompose these 

 o?baryt° e f s. Ume bodies. This indeed might be expected, since quick-lime, 

 I find, does not absorb the gas: a cubic inch of it, exposed 

 to the action of lime in a tube over mercury, was only di- 

 minished in two days to nine tenths of a cubic inch, and no 

 farther absorption was afterwards observed to take place. 



But 



