+3 Mr. kirwan’s Experiments and Obfer vat ions on 
preventing its precipitation by the affufion of water, as Mr* 
wenzel has difcovered. Here the quantity of marine acid was 
much greater than that of the vitriolic, and confequentiy it 
contained more fire ; but this circumflance alone is not fufficient, 
it muft befides be determined to give out that fire by the a 61 of 
iolution. This appears by the experiments of Mr cornette; 
for when he mixed half an ounce of tartar vitriolate, previoujly 
aiJfoJved in water with two ounces of fpirit -of fait, the tartar 
■vitriolate was not decompofed, Memoirs, Paris, 1778, p. 49.; 
for it being already diflolved, no cold or heat was generated by 
mixing it with the fpirit of fait, and confequentiy the latter did 
not give out any lire. Mr. cornette alfo obl'erved, that Glau- 
ber’s fait is ealier decompofed by the marine acid than tartar 
vitriolate ; this I have alfo experienced, and the reafon is, fil'd:, 
becaufe Glauber’s fait is more eafily foluble in fpirit of fait 
than tartar vitriolate ; and, fecondly, becaufe its alkaline bafis 
takes up a greater quantity of the real marine acid than of the 
vitriolic, whereas the bafis of tartar vitriolate takes up an equal 
quantity of both acids ; confequentiy the marine gives out 
more fire in uniting to the bafis of Glauber’s fait than on 
uniting to that of tartar vitriolate. 
Vitriolic ammoniac is alfo decompofed by the marine acid 
for the fame reafon ; but in all thefe cafes the quantity of the 
marine acid mud: much exceed that of the vitriolic, or no de- 
compolition will take place. The decompofition of nitro- 
neutral falts by the marine acid depends on the fame principles. 
Mr. cornette found, that cubic nitre was more ealily decom- 
pofed than prifmatic nitre, and accordingly, during the folu- 
tion of prifmatic nitre, only 3 0 of cold were produced ; but, 
during that of cubic nitre, the thermometer fell 6°, a fign 
that the fpirit of fait gave out more fire in the latter cafe than 
m 
