NIT 
about two parts of nitre fhould be ufed te one part of oil of 
vitriol, aud the retort heated in a fand-bath conne&ted with 
a receiver ke t cool by moiftened cloths. This acid, thus 
to air. If the nitre be dry, its {pecific gravity is from 
1.5 8.55. This fubftance as with great violence on 
all ane anciently kno 
rom his own experime ompared with t 
Wenzel, aad Berthollet, he thinks nae - i feongel acids 
contain from . of w 
e of commerce frequently contains fome mu- 
riatic “nalts, which being decompofed by the fulphuric, in 
common with the nitre, the muriatic acid comes over mixed 
with the nitric. If an excefs of fulphuric acid be em- 
ploye d, and the heat be very great, the latter, more or lefs, 
is frequently diftilled over, fo that nitric acid is often conta- 
minated with fulphuric and muriatic acids. The prefence 
of the muriatic acid may be beft avoided by carefully cry ttal- 
liz'ng the nitre to be employed. If at laft it thould ful 
contain a little muriatic acid, it may be feparated by nitrat 
of filver. The fulphuric acid may be feparated by re-dif- 
tilling from a litharge, or barytes fufficient to faturate all 
the fulphuric acid. “ After the nitrous gas has been expelled 
by heat, the acid may be deemed pure. In this ftate it is 
perfectly colourlefs, and of a ftrong acid tafte, which, when 
diluted with water, is not unpleafant. 
in a dark place. When it is expofed to the light, oxygen 
gas is difengaged, and ae nitrous gas which 1s liberated 
tinges it of a yellow co 
When expofed to cea air it appears to exhale white fumes. 
This is occafioned by the = attraction of the acid for 
the moiiture of the atmofpher 
To all animal fubftances it a a beautiful yellow tinge. 
The ftrongeft acid yet produced is not of greater {pecific 
ravity than 1.62. Mr. Dalton informs us, that n its 
fpecific gravity is 1.42, it boils at 248° of Fahrenheit. If 
it be ftron ger, the acid is rea si and if pagent the 
ies till it comes to imum, rodes 
affi 
it be added to the bere ale they {peedily a een leaving 
behind a fpongy en it is poured upon powdered 
charcoal, very ee it sere fire. ‘The fame effects take place 
with fulphur and phofphorus, at a certain temperature. 
It is pee Py all the metals, excepting gold, pla- 
tina, and titaniu 
oxy it, while nitrogen alone is difengaged. 
Others AY the nr fuch as filver, mercury, copper, &c. 
NIT 
deprive it of only one atom of oxygen, the nitrous gas being 
{et free, producing red fumes with i prefence of oxygen. 
When it is poured on zinc, tin, o are in a ftate of 
fufion, inflammation takes , 
Ki 
of cry eee 
taine 
6 9 = 85.142 grains of 
——— of the whole; therefore 
Te QOl 
nitrat of foda. Now, re) 14 = 36. 
weight of the alkali. cid, therefore, will be 85.142 
— 36.05 = 49.092 grains ; ba the acid of 1.5543 weighed 
7.199 tenes aes uently 67.179 — 49092 = 18.0 
will be the contained in 67.179 se Leis of 1.5543 
{pecific fener which | is equal to 26.9 pe Hence 100 
parts of nitric acid of 1.5543, confiits of o, 1 of real acid, 
and 26.9 of water. 
Dalton fae made a number of fimilar experiments, which 
ftronaly confirm the conclufions of Kirwan, the gr 
difference between them neing no more than 
he 50 r. is the 
The » 
Acid per | Acid per : +: 
— cent. iy cent. : pa Boiling 
Meafure. | Weght. sie 
Acid. Water. 
I+ 0 17.5 TOO 1.75 30° 
2+ 1 13.4 $2.7 1.62 100 
I+ 1 11.2 72-5 1.54 175 
10.2 68.5 1.50 210 
84.7 58.4 1.45 240 
I+ 2 79.2 54-4 1.42 248 
91.7 51.2 1.40 247 
T+ 3 | 59-3 | 443 135 | 242 
I+ 4 48.6 74 1.30 236 
I+ § 40.7 32.3 1.26 232 
1+ 6 34.8 28.5 1.22 229 
I+ 7 30-5 25.4 1.20 226 
1+ 8 27.1 23 1.18 223 
I+ 9 24.6 21 1617 221 
I+ 10 22.4 19.3 10416 220 
1+ 11 20.5 17.8 1.15 219 
I+ 12 18.9 16.6 1.14 219 
