1,48 Mr. Kir wan*s Experiments 
in differently from any hot body to a colder, of whatever fort 
or kind the bodies may be ; but it is determined to unite with 
this or that body in a latent ftate, in greater or leffer quantity, 
in proportion to the greater or leffer capacity of thefe bodies to 
receive it. Now acids, by uniting to the alkaline bafis of 
liver of fulphur, expel the fulphur, <and give it their hear, at 
the injlant the fulphur, by its feparation, has the capacity to 
receive it; whereas fenlible external heat, afting alike on both 
the conftituent parts of liver of fulphur, feparates neither; or 
if it feparates them, yet, by its fuccejjive affion, it throws one 
of them into a vaporous ftate firft, and bodies that jhjl acquire 
this ftate can never after acquire an aerial ft ate by any Jubfe * 
quent acceffion of heat. 
The vitriolic and nitrons acids are lefs adapted to the pro* 
duftion of hepatic air than the marine acid, though they con- 
tain more fpecifi-c heat than the mere acid part of the marine 
acid: the moft probable reafon of which is, becaufe they have 
a ftronger attraction to fulphur itfelf, and fo detain it. 
Hepatic air is much difpofed to give out its latent heat, par* 
ticularly when in contafl with fubftances to which it has any 
affinity; thus it is condenfed in water in a few days ; it is alfo 
condenfed by long expofure to frefti furfaces of mercury or filver 
or other metals, particularly if they are moift. M. Bergman 
found it in great meafure condenfed into fulphur, when in*- 
clofed alone in a bottle In this cafe it probably contained an 
excefs of fulphur ; for hot hepatic air is capable of keeping a 
farther quantity of fulphur in folution, and depofing it when 
cold, as I have frequently obfervecL 
* See a note in the fecond volume of M. Morveau’s tranflation of the fecond 
volume of Bergman’s Works, p. 34.1* 
5 The 
