AND ON SOME SUBJECTS OF CHEMICAL THEORY. 311 



which the old doctrine with regard to the nature of muriatic 

 and oxymuriatic acids rests. It may be well, therefore, to in- 

 quire how far they may modify the conclusions to be drawn, 

 admitting even that oxymuriatic acid contains oxygen, and that 

 muriatic acid gas affords water. 



When water is obtained from muriatic acid gas, it does not 

 necessarily follow, that it has pre-existed in the state of water. 

 It is equally possible, a priori^ that its elements may be pre- 

 sent in simultaneous combination with the acid, or its radical, 

 — that the acid is a ternary compound of a radical with oxy- 

 gen and hydrogen j and that it is decomposed in those proces- 

 ses by which water is procured, the hydrogen, with the requisite 

 proportion of oxygen, combining to form water ; and its radical, 

 with any excess of oxygen, remaining in union with the sub- 

 stance by which the change has been effected. 



If this view were adopted with regard to muriatic acid, the 

 same view might, on the same grounds, be applied to the 

 other acids which appear to contain water in intimate combi- 

 nation, and in a definite proportion. And such an acid, the 

 radical and precise constitution of which are known, may be 

 best adapted to illustrate the hypothesis. 



Sulphuric acid affords water when it is submitted to the ac- 

 tion of an alkaline base ; and the quantity of this water appears 

 to be definite, amounting to 18.5 in ±00 of the strongest acid 

 which can be procured in an insulated state ; 100 parts of this 

 acid, therefore, are considered as composed of 81.5 of real acid, 

 (consisting of 32.6 of sulphur, and 48.9 of oxygen,) with 18.5 

 of water. But if, instead of this view of its constitution, it be 

 considered as a ternary compound of sulphur, oxygen, and hy- 

 drogen, its composition will be 32.6 of sulphur, 65.2 of oxy- 

 gen, and 2.2 of hydrogen. In those processes by which water 

 is obtained from it ; — in the action, for example, of an alkaline 



base. 



