Mr. Cavennisu’s Experiments on Air. 13% 
vailed upon to repeat the experiment himfelf, he found fome 
difficulty in believing that nearly the whole of the two airs 
could be converted into water. It is remarkable, that neither 
of thefe gentlemen found any acid in the water produced by 
the combuftion ; which might proceed from the latter having 
burnt the two airs in a different manner from what I did; and 
from the former having ufed a different kind of inflammable air, 
namely, that trom charcoal aud perhaps having ufed a greater 
proportion of it. 
Before I enter into the caufe of thefe phenomena, it will be 
proper to take notice, that phlogifticated air appears to be no- 
thing elfe than the nitrous acid united to phlogifton ; for when 
mitre is deflagrated with charcoal, the acid is almoft entirely 
converted into this kind of air... That the acid 1s entirely con- 
verted into air, appears from the common procefs for making 
what is called clyflus of ‘nitres for if the nitre and charéoal 
are dry, {carcecany thing is found in'the veflels prepared for 
condenfing the fumes; but if they are moift.a little liquor jis 
collected, which is nothing but the water contained in the ma- 
terials, impregnated with, a little volatile alkali, proceeding in 
all probability from the imperfectly burnt charcoal, and a little 
fixed alkali, confiftng’ of fome of the alkalized nitre carried 
over by the heatand:watery vapours. As far’as. I can: perceive 
too; at’ prefent; thé air into which much the, greateft part of 
the acid is converted, differs in no refpect: from, common air 
phlogifticated. | A {mall part of the acid, however, is turned into 
nitrous air, and the whole is. mixed with a good deal of fixed, 
and perhaps a little anflammable, ant both proscading from. the 
Pharccieth | : 
Ttis well known, that the nitrous ‘acid. is alfo eke Hi ie 
eilosdasaioti into nitrous, airy, in which refpect, there feems a 
| confiderable 
