OF SEA-WATER. 207 



liol had been used in large quantity, by which a portion of 

 these sulphates would be dissolved, though still it is difficult 

 to imagine that in this way they would be entirely abstrac- 

 ted. 



Lavoisier's analysis has been considered as incorrect in two 

 circumstances, — in the finding muriate of lime and sulphate of 

 soda. Neither of these have been discovered by other che- 

 mists ; and in a late analysis of sea-water by Vogel and La- 

 grange, one of the objects of experiment was to detect their 

 presence, and the conclusions drawn were, " that sea-water 

 " contains no sulphate of soda," and " no muriate of lime." 

 In this analysis the saline ingredients found in sea-water were 

 the same as those assigned by Bergman, with the addition of 

 sulphate of magnesia. In 1000 grammes there were found 25.10 

 grammes of muriate of soda, 3.5 of muriate of magnesia, 5.78 of 

 sulphate of magnesia, 0.20 of carbonate of lime and magnesia, 

 and 0.15 of sulphate of lime *. 



Some other recent analyses have been given ; that by Lich- 

 tenberg is noticed by Vogel and Lagrange, from a German 

 Journal, as approaching to their own ; and that of Pfaff, in 

 which, as in Lavoisier's analysis, there is found a portion of 

 muriate of lime. 



It is obvious, that there remains a degree of uncertainty with 

 regard to the ingredients of sea-water, sufficient to give interest 

 to a new analysis. The principle, too, which I have illustrated 

 in a preceding paper, on the analysis of Mineral Waters, — 

 that the substances obtained are not always to be regarded as 

 the original ingredients, but frequently as products of new 

 combinations established by the analytic operations, may con- 

 tribute to throw light on the conclusions to be drawn, and 



seemed 



* Thomson's Annals, vol. iv. p. 200. 



