288 EXPERIMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS 



the supposition, that it is water formed by the combina- 

 tion of the hydrogen of the acid with the oxygen of the 

 base. Ammonia, however, containing no oxygen, if water 

 is obtained from its combination with muriatic acid gas, we 

 obtain a result which cannot be accounted for on this hypothe- 

 sis, but must be regarded as a proof of the presence of water in 

 the acid gas. And this, again, affords a proof equally conclu- 

 sive of the existence of oxygen in oxymuriatic gas. 



The results of the experiment which I had brought forward, 

 were involved in much controversial discussion : And a brief 

 recapitulation of the objections that were urged to it, is neces- 

 sary, as an introduction to the experiments I have now to sub- 

 mit ; and to the consideration of the present state of the ques- 

 tion. 



The original experiment was performed by combining thir- 

 ty cubic inches of muriatic acid gas, with the same volume of 

 ammoniacal gas carefully dried. The salt formed was exposed 

 in a small retort with a receiver adapted to it, to a moderate 

 heat gradually raised. Moisture speedily condensed in the 

 neck of the retort, which increased and collected into small 

 globules*. 



This result was admitted by those who defended the new 

 doctrine, when the experiment was performed in rhe manner I 

 have described, — water being obtained, it was allowed " in na 

 inconsiderable quantity." But, to obviate the conclusion, it was 

 asserted, that this is water which has been absorbed by the salt 

 from the atmosphere. This was affirmed by. Sir Humphry Davy, 

 who stated that the salt absorbs water in this manner to a very 

 considerable extent ; that it is only from the salt in this state 

 that water can be procured, and that when it is formed from 



the 



» Nicholson's Journal, vol. xxxi. p. 126. 



