[ 236 ] 
through' the water. They made, however, a conti- 
nual, though flow, increafe of inflammable air. 
Fixed air,- being admitted to the whole produce of 
this air from copper, had no fenfible effed upon if.. 
Upon the admiflron of water, a great part of the 
mixture, which, no doubt, was the moft fubtle 
kind of air from the copper, prefently difappeared;. 
another part, which I fuppofe to have been the fixed 
air, was abforbed flowly; and in this particular cafe 
the very fmall permanent refiduum did not take fire; 
but it is very pofiible that it might have done fo, if 
the quantity had been greater. 
Lime-water being admitted to the whole produce 
of air from copper became white ; but this I fufped 
to have arifen from fome other circumftance than the 
precipitation of the lime which it contained. 
The folution of lead in the marine acid is attended 
with the very fame phenomena as the folution of 
copper in the fame acid ; about three fourths of the 
generated air difappearing on the contact of water,' 
and the remainder being inflammable. 
The folutions of iron, tin, and zinc, in the marine 
acid, were all attended with the fame phenomena as 
the folutions of copper and lead; but in a lefs degree ; 
for in iron one eighth, in tin one fixth, and in zinc 
one tenth of the generated air difappeared on the con- 
fad: with water. The remainder of the air from 
iron, in this cafe, burned with a green, or very light 
blue flame. 
I had always thought it fomething extraordinary 
that a fpecies of air fliould lole its elafticity by the 
mere contad of any thing, and from the firft fuf- 
peded that it mull have been imbibed by the water 
that 
