on Hepatic 'Air* 133 
precipitated lime from lime-water, forming a cloud in it, 
which neither the fixed nor volatile acid of vitriol can produce. 
Hence this water contained nothing hepatic ; but, on the con- 
trary, a confiderable proportion of the aerial and vitriolic 
acids 
With nitrous air I made the following experiments. Firft, 
I found that two meafures or cubic inches of nitrous and two 
of hepatic air were little altered when firft mixed, even by 
agitation ; but after thirty-fix hours both were reduced to 
nearly one-third of the whole, but fomething more. Yellow 
particles of fulphur were depofited both on the mercury, and 
on the fides of the jar, but the mercury was not blackened* 
The refiduary air had ftill an hepatic fmell, and was fomewhat 
further diminifhed by water; and in the unabforbed part a 
candle burned naturally. The. water had all. the properties of 
hepatic water* 
Perceiving by this experiment that I had not employed 
enough of nitrous air to condenfe the hepatic perfectly, to 
eight cubic inches of hepatic air I added nine of nitrous air, 
all at once ; a yellowifh cloud inftantly appeared, a flight white 
fcum was depofited on the fides of the jar, and the whole 
feemed diminifhed about two cubic inches, or between one- 
ninth and one-eighth, the temperature of the room being 
then J 2 °. I then laid by. the mixture, and in forty-eight 
hours after, I found the whole reduced to fix cubic inches,, and 
the top and fides of the jar covered with a white cake of ful- 
phur, the heat of the room being conftantly kept between 
6o° and 70°. Finding the diminution to reach no further in 
* Note, the vitriolic acid air here employed was the pureft poffible ; it was 
extracted from fulplmr diddled with precipitate per fe 9 
twenty-'- 
