; NIT 
pofes, it may be Serer over water, which abforbs only 
about ith of its bulk: ome occafions, however, it is 
neceflary to colle& it over mercury. 
Nitric oxyd may be feparated from other gafes, by means 
of folutions of iron with the blac The liquid, by 
When the nitric ele is mixed with oxygen, or is a 
in conta with the atmofphere, red fumes immediately ap- 
pear, which are of pana denfity than common air. This 
i3 called nitrous acid gas. 
The fpecific gravity of nitric oxyd is to common air, ac- 
cording to Kirwan, as 1 to 1.19; but » who is nearer 
the truth, makes it 1.102. If ge be equal to 1, and 
100 cubic inches weigh 2.5 grains, then the nitric oxyd will 
be 13, and 100 cubic inches of 3 it will weigh 32 7] grains. 
When a lighted taper, or fulphur in a _ oy = 
tion, are immerfed in this gas, the e be comes xtin- 
heated inthis gas, deprive it of its eiaeen ; oe refidaal gas 
being nitrogen 
Other bodies take away only part of its oxygen: of thefe 
are the alkaline ee the mufiatic folution of tin, and 
feveral of ae fulphats. “For thefe — we are indebted to 
fir al mphr 
The latter atom is conftituted by 1 t= 6497229; 
the former of 1 of oxygen to 2 of nitrogen, or 7 x 
=1 Sir Humphre y Davy, rotwitfandng this corro- 
borating fa&t, co onfiders nitrous ox of oxygen to 
1 of nitrogen ; by doing which, - nitric acid is = to 
confift of 1 of nitrogen to 5 of oxygen; a thing very im- 
probable between two bodies having . little nity for 
each other. 
When nitric oxyd is acted upon by eleétricity, an atom 
of oxygen is liberated trom one atom of the gas, a and ae 
to another, till the whole is divided into nitric acid and ni- 
trogen. In other words, one- half of the gas ae its 
oxygen to the other half. By this change, if the original 
: ; 1 
volume be 1, the refulting volume will be £ x Tease = 
112 
rr » a little more than half. 
When nitric oxyd is mixed with hydrogen, it does not 
explode by the eleGtric fpark. It is, however, faid to de- 
tonate, when pafled through a Ris hot porcelain tube; the 
refult being water and nitrogen, The relative volume of 
thefe gafes, to prcaure this pide will be 13 of hydrogen 
and 12 of nitroz ze 
We are ideoed to Dr. Henry oy the fact of nitric oka 
being = fed by ammonia. For this purpofe, the t 
gafes are to be put into the ftrong tube, called’ Volta’s eudio. 
meter, ei the electric fpark paffed through t them. en 
the nitric oxyd ‘is it excefs, the’ réfult is nitrogen, water, 
NIT 
and a little nitric ga when the ammonia feed 
then nitrogen, water, a 
rom the 
ture. 
Since an atom of nitric oxyd confifts of 1 of nitrogen 
o 1 of oxygen, the weight of its atom will be oe 
the pie aia oe T “ nitrogen to Z of ox 
th 
pring the ratio one rx wei iy the united ratio of their 
Cc gravities : the 
by making the fpecific 
for inftance, nitric oxyd be hydrogen, to be 
paffed through a red-hot pexcelbin tube, the propottion by 
weight will be 12 of the oxyd to 1 of hydrogen, the re- 
lative weights of their atoms, and © x aa = — 5 or 12 
I 13 («13 
of nitric oxyd by meafure to 13 of 7 Ammonia 
13 
d it ill Sao - 
and nitric oxyd will be x— 75 =o or 13 by vo 
lume of ammonia to 15 of 1 nitric acid, 
NIT spt toon SPIRIT, a ter invented by Mayow, 
and fince ufed by m others, to exprefs a 
ing to Mayow, com pofed of terrene matter, which is flex- 
ible and humid, and of etherial particles, which are rigid and 
dry, ative and i igneous, and proceeding from the air. el a 
igneous particles are common fo nitre and to air, andar 
therefore called nétro-aerial ; and the fpirit of nitre derites 
according to this fyftem, from thefe particles its ative and 
va aoe Apel wkich makes it a fort of potential — . 
and o s the form of nitre chiefly, if not wholly, 
ade 
i NITROGEN, in Chemiffry, a fimple oxydable body, by 
fome chemiits called azot, from ‘its property of deftroying 
ife. This name appears pot ide fince feveral other a 
have the fame effect upon anin 
Before the difcovery of Cavendith, our knowled 
ar gas was littlé niore than negative. It was then be ed 
o be the bafe of the nittic acid, but the 
fae. Its iresibeg gravity is 123, hydroge eing I. ee 
weight of its atom . 55 hy rogen eing 1. See Azor. 
NI 0-1 TIC Aci. This acid i is formed ve 
