Mr, Chenevix’s Observations and Experiments, &c. 127 
we find a summary of the experiments that had preceded the 
impression of his work, together with the following sentence. 
“ Tons les muriates suroxygenes soot decomposes par les acides, 
« souvent avec une violente decrepitation, avec une degagement 
“ de vapeur jaune verdatre, et une odeur tres-forte. Cette vapeur 
“ est de veritable acide muriatique suroxygend. Elle est lourde, 
<{ tombe en goutellettes d’un jaune vert, et forme des stries 
“ comme de I’huile, sur les corps auxquels elle adhere/’ This 
assertion carries no confirmation along with it; and does not 
amount so near to proof as the position of the former chemist r 
so that, in fact, the existence of hyperoxygenized muriatic acid, 
and of its combination with potash, rests, at present, upon the 
conjecture of Mr. Berthollet ; a conjecture however which, 
as well as his whole dissertation upon the subject, bears all the 
marks of genius which so strongly characterise every produc- 
tion of that sagacious philosopher. Some notice has been taken 
of other saline combinations, formed by causing a current of 
oxygenized muriatic acid to pass through solutions of the alkalis, 
or earths, or by otherwise combining them. Mess. D’Olfus,, 
Gadolin, Van-Mons, Lavoisier, and others, have slightly 
mentioned some of these combinations, But, with the exception 
of Mr. Berthollet, I know of no chemist who has approached 
so near to the real state of the combination of muriatic acid 
and oxygen with potash, as Mr.. Hoyle, of Manchester. The 
true nature of this salt, however, is one of those things which 
many persons have credited without proof ; and which many 
others have been on the eve of discovering. 
I shall now proceed to lay before the Society, an account of 
the observations and experiments which have led me to con- 
clude, that muriatic acid does exist in the form of oxygenized! 
