Mr. Cavendish’s Experiments on Air • 57^- 
UOtMng elfe than nitrous acid united to phlogifton. According 
to this conciufion, phlogifticated air ought to be reduced to 
nitrous acid by being deprived of its phlogifton. But as de- 
phlogifticated air is only water deprived of phlogifton, it is 
plain, that adding dephlogifticated air to a body, is equivalent 
to depriving it of phlogifton, and adding water to it ; and 
therefore, phlogifticated air ought alio to be reduced to nitrous 
acid, by being made to unite to, or form a chemical combina- 
tion with, dephlogifticated air ; only the acid formed this way 
will be more dilute, than if the phlogifticated air was fimply 
deprived of phlogifton. 
This being premifed, we may fafely conclude, that in the 
prefent experiments the phlogifticated air was enabled, by 
means of the ele&rical (park, to unite to, or form a chemical 
combination with, the dephlogifticated air, and was thereby 
reduced to nitrous acid, which united to the foap-lees, and 
formed a foliation of nitre; for in thefe experiments thofe two 
airs a flu ally difappeared, and nitrous acid was actually formed 
in their room ; and as, moreover, it has juft been fhewn, from 
other circumftances, that phlogifticated airmuft form nitrous acid, 
when combined with dephlogifticated air, the above-mentioned 
opinion feems to be fufficiently eftablifhed. A further confirma- 
tion of it is, that, as far as I can perceive, no diminution of air is 
produced when the eleflric fpark is pafted either through pure 
dephlogifticated air, or through perfectly phlogifticated air ; 
which indicates the neceftity of a combination of thefe two 
airs to produce the acid. Moreover, it was found in the laft 
experiment, that the quantity of nitre procured was the fame 
that the foap-lees would have produced if faturated with ni- 
trous acid ; which (hews, that the produ£tion of the nitre was 
not owing to any decompofition of the foap-lees. 
It 
