394 Mr. Hatchett's Experiments on Zoophytes, 



nearly white; after which, it was in the state of carbonate of 

 lime. 



Another part was dissolved in nitric acid, and lime was preci- 

 pitated by carbonate of soda. The slight excess of the latter was 

 then saturated by acetous acid ; and the whole was boiled, to 

 expel the carbonic acid ; after which, the liquor, from its effects 

 on solutions of lime, barytes, &c. evidently contained oxalic acid 

 in solution : the precipitate was therefore oxalate of lime, mixed 

 with a very small quantity of phosphate of lime. 



200 grains of the dry muscular fibre, dissolved and boiled 

 with nitric acid, afforded 1 7 grains of this precipitate. 



Although it is known that the gelatinous liquor obtained 

 from muscle by boiling water, contains phosphate of soda, and 

 of lime, yet I did not imagine that the greater part of the latter 

 could be so completely separated. 



I therefore, in some measure, repeated the experiment, on the 

 muscle of veal; and (as I expected) found phosphate of soda, 

 and of lime, in the liquor. But, when the muscle was after- 

 wards dissolved in boiling nitric acid, and the solution was 

 saturated with ammoniac, I was surprized to find that, although 

 the same change in colour was produced as in all the former 

 experiments, the liquor remained transparent ; and, even after 

 several days, only a few scattered particles appeared at the 

 bottom of the vessel. 



Another experiment was made, on the recent muscle of mut- 

 ton ; but this was immediately dissolved in nitric acid, without 

 being previously boiled in water. The fat being separated, the 

 solution was, as before, saturated with ammoniac ; and, as usual, 

 became of a deep orange colour, or yellowish brown : in a few 

 hours also, a small quantity of a white precipitate subsided. 



