WATER. 
8Sf 
The substances hitherto found in mineral 
waters amount to about 38, and may be re- 
duced ufuier the four following heads : 1. Air 
and its component parts, oxygen and azotic 
gas. 2. Acids. 3. Alkalies and earths. 4. 
Salts* 
J. I. Air is contained in by far the greater 
number of mineral waters : its proportion does 
not exceed 1 -28th of the bulk of the water. 
2. Oxygen gas was first detected in waters 
by Scheele. Its quantity is usually incon- 
siderable; and it is incompatible with the 
I presence of suiphureted hydrogen gas or iron. 
3. Azotic gas was first detected in Buxton 
i water by Or. Pearson. Afterwards it was 
discovered in Harrowgate waters by Dr. 
Garnet, and in those of Lemington Priors by 
Mr. Lambe. 
It. The only acids hitherto found in waters, 
except in combination with a base, are the 
four following: carbonic, sulphurous, bo- 
racic, and suiphureted hydrogen gas. 1. Car- 
bonic acid was first discovered in Pyrmont 
water by Dr. Brownrigg. It is the most 
common ingredient in mineral waters, 100 
cubic inches of the water generally contain- 
ing from six to 40 cubic inches ot this acid 
gas. According to YVestrum, 100 cubic inches 
of Pyrmont water contain 187 cubic inches of 
it, or almost double its own bulk. 2. Sul- 
phurous acid has been observed in several of 
the hot mineral waters in Italy, which are in 
the neighbourhood of volcanoes. 3 J he 
bcracic acid has also been observed in some 
lakes in Italy. 4. Sulphureted hydrogen gas 
constitutes "the most conspicuous ingredient 
in those waters which are distinguished by the 
name of hepatic or sulphureous. 
III. The only alkali which has been ob- 
served in mineral waters, uncombined, is 
soda; and the only earthy bodies are silica 
and lime. 1. Dr. Black detected soda in the 
hot minerals of Geyzer and Rykum in Ice- 
land ; but in most other cases the soda is 
combined with carbonic acid. 2. Silica was 
first observed in waters by Bergman. It w as 
afterwards detected in those ot Geyzer and 
Rykum by Dr. Black, and in those of Carls- 
bad by Kalproth. Hassenfratz observed it 
rin the waters of Pougues, and Breze in those 
of Pu. It has been found also in many other 
mineral waters. 3. Lime is said to have 
been found uncombined in some mineral wa- 
ters ; but this has not been proved in a satis- 
factory manner. 
IV. The only salts hitherto found in mi- 
neral waters, are the following sulphats, 
nitrats, muriats, carbonats, and hydrosul- 
phurets : 
1. Sulphat of soda 
2 ammonia 
3 lime 
4. . . . . magnesia 
5 , ... . alumina 
6 iron 
7 copper 
8. Nitrat of potass 
9. . . . ..lime 
10 magnesia. 
11. Muriat of potass; 
12 soda 
13 ammonia 
14 barytes 
15 lime 
16 magnesia 
17 alumina 
lg, . , . manganese 
19. Carbonatof potass 
20 soda 
21 ammonia 
22 lime 
23 m.gnesia 
24 alumina 
25 iron 
26. Hydros ulphuret of lime 
27. . . potass 
28. And likewise borax. 
Of these genera the carbonats and muriats 
occur by far most commonly, and the nitrats 
most rarely. 
1 . Sulphat of soda is not uncommon, espe- 
cially in those mineral waters which are dis- 
tinguished by the epithet saline. 2. Sulphat 
of ammonia is found in mineral waters near 
volcanoes. 3. Sulphat ot lime is exceeding- 
ly common in water. Its presence seems to 
have been fiist detected by Dr. Lister in 
1682. 4. Sulphat of magnesia is almost con- 
stantly an ingredient in those mineral waters 
which' have purgative properties, it was de- 
tected in Epsom waters in 1610, and in 1696 
Dr. Grew published a treatise on it. 5. Alum 
is sometimes found m mineral waters, but it 
is exceedingly rare. 6. Sulphat of iron oc- 
curs sometimes in volcanic mineral waters, 
and has even been observed in other places. 
But sulphat of copper is only found in the 
waters which issue from copper mines. /. 
Nitre has been found in some springs in 
Hungary ; but it is exceeding y uncommon. 
8. Nitrat of lime was first detected in water 
by Dr. Home of Edinburgh, in 1756. It is 
said to occur in some springs in the sandy de- 
serts of Arabia. 9- Nitrat of magnesia is- 
said to have been found in some springs. 
10. Muriat of potass is uncommon; but it 
has lately been discovered in the mineral 
springs of Uideaborg in Sweden, by Jufin. 
1 1. Muriat of soda is so exceedingly common 
in mineral waters, that hardly a single spring 
has been analysed without detecting some ot 
it. Muriat of ammonia is uncommon ; but it 
has been found in some mineral springs in 
Italy, and in Siberia. 13. Muriat ot barytes 
is still mure uncommon ; but its presence in 
mineral Waters has been announced by Berg- 
man. 14. Muriats of lime and magnesia are 
common ingredients. 15. Muriat of alumina 
has been observed in w ters by Dr Wither- 
ing ; but it is very uncommon. 16. Muriat 
of manganese was mentioned by Bergman as 
sometimes occurring in mineral waters. It 
has lately been detected by Lambe in the 
waters of Lemington Priors, but in an ex- 
tremely limited proportion. 17. The pie- 
sence of carbonat of potass in mineral waters ■ 
has been mentioned by several chemists r it it 
does occur, it must be in a. very small pro- 
portion. 18. But carbonat of soda is, per- 
haps, the most common ingredient of these 
liquids, if we except common salt and car- 
bonat of lime. 19. Carbonat of ammonia has 
been discovered in waters ; but it is uncom- 
mon. 20. Carbonatof lime is found in al- 
most all waters, and is usually held in solu- 
tion by an excess of acid. It appears from 
the different experiments of chemists, as 
stated' by Mr. Kirwan, and especially from 
nose ot Berthollet, that water saturated with 
carbonic acid is capable of holding in solution 
0.002 of carbonat of lime. Now water satu- 
rated with carbonic acid at me temperature 
>r 50°, contains very nearly 0-002 of its weight 
of carbonic acid. Hence it .follows that car- 
bonic acid, when present in such quantity a? 
to saturate water, is capable of holding its* 
own weight of carbonat of lime in solution. 
Thus we see that 1000 parts by weight of 
water, when it contains two parts of carbonic 
acid, is capable of dissolving two parts of 
carbonat of lime. When the proportion of 
water is increased, it is capable of holding the 
carbonat of Time in solution, even when the 
proportion of carbonic acid united with it is 
diminished. Thus 24,000 parts of water are 
capable of holding two parts of carbonat of. 
lime in solution, even when they contain only 
one part of carbonic acid. The greater the 
proportion of water, the smaller a proportion 
of carbonic acid is necessary to keep the lime 
in solution ; and when the water is increased 
to a certain proportion, no sensible excess of 
carbonic acid is necessary. It ought to be 
remarked also, that water, how small a quan- 
tity soever of carbonic acid it contains, is ca- 
pable of holding carbonat of lime in solution, 
provided the weight of the carbonic acid 
present exceeds that of the lime. These ob- 
servations apply equally to the other earthy 
carbonats held "in solution by mineral waters. 
21. Carbonat of magnesia is also very com- 
mon in mineral waters, and is almost always 
accompanied by carbonat of lime. 22. Car- 
bonat of alumina is said to have been found 
in waters ; but its presence has not been pro- 
perly ascertained. 23. But carbonat of iron 
is by no means uncommon \ Indeed informs 
the most remarkable ingredient. in those wa- 
ters which are distinguished by the epithet of 
chalybeate. 24. The hydrosulphurets of 
lime and of soda have been frequently detect- 
ed in those waters which are called sulphure- 
ous or hepatic. 25. Borax exists in some 
lakes in Persia and Thibet; but the nature* 
of these waters Has not been ascertained. 
Besides these substances, certain vegetable 
and animal matters have been occasionally 
observed in mineral waters. But in most; 
cases these are rather to be considered in the 
light of accidental mixtures than of real 
component parts of the waters in which they- 
occur. 
From the above enumeration; we are en- 
abled to form a pretty accurate’ idea of the 
substances which occur in mineral waters ; 
but this is by no means sufficient to make us 
acquainted with these liquids. No mineral* 
water contains all of these substances. S.el* 
dom are there more than five or six of them 
present together, and hardly ever do they 
exceed the number of eight or ten. 1 he 
proportion too in which they enter into mi- 
neral waters is generally small, and in many 
cases extremely so. Now in order to under- 
stand the nature of mineral waters, it is- 
necessary to know the substances which most- 
usually associate together, and the propor- 
tion in which they commonly associate. In. 
the greater part of mineral waters there is 
usually some substance present which, front, 
its greater proportion or its greater activity, 
stamps, in a manner, the character ot the* 
water, and gives it those properties by which 
it is most readily distinguished. Idris sub- 
stance of course claims the greatest attention ; 
while the other bodies which entei in i 
smaller proportion may vary. or even be ab- 
sent altogether, without producing any sen- 
sible change in the nature of the water. This 
circumstance enables us to divide mineral, 
waters into classes, distinguished by the pe- 
