on the Specific Gravities y &c. of Saline Subfiances. 225 
patted it but once through melted nitre, and yet found it con- 
fiderably meliorated, for it was diminifhed by nitrous air. In 
this cafe the nitrous acid attracted the phlogifton ; for it is 
known to become phlogifticated by the fufion of nitre, fo as 
to be expellable even by the vegetable acids. 2 N. A£h Upf. 
1 71. And aqua regia may be made by mixing nitre with ma- 
rine acid. 
I fhall now briefly confider what may be faid in oppofition to 
this doctrine. 
In the firtt place it may be difficult to conceive, that the 
addition of phlogifton fhould render any fubffance more foluble 
in water, as it is known to render moft acids lefs foluble in 
that liquid ; but a little attention will fhew, that phlogifton 
does not always render fubftances lefs foluble in water than 
they were before ; for the acid of fugar is lefs foluble in water 
than fugar itfelf, though fugar conftfts of that acid united to 
phlogifton. The dephlogifticated marine acid unites more 
difficultly with water than the fame acid does when phlogifti- 
cated, as the illuftfious Bergman has obferved*. Cauftic 
volatile alkali has been decompofed by Mr. scheele, and 
found to conlift of an air infoluble in water, and phlogifton ; 
fo that it is rendered foluble in water only by union with phlo- 
gifton. It would be foreign to the fubjeft to enter into the 
reafon of thefe exceptions, but the fa&s are certain. 
Another objection may be drawn from a remarkable experi- 
ment to be found in the fifth volume of Dr. Priestley’s ob- 
fervations, where it is ftiid, that inflammable air and common 
air being fired by an ele&ric fpark over lime-water, the dimi- 
nution took place all once, and the lime was not precipitated ; 
but as it is equally true, that fixed air is precipitated by other 
phlogiftic procefles, this experiment proves only, that in thefe 
* Anleitung, § 333. 
Vol. LXXII. g g 
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