Acidity , the Compojition of IV iter, and Phhgijlnn. 155 
111 my laft Volume of Experiments, I recited the particu- 
lars of one, the refult of which feemed to be diflimilar to this 
with the fcales of iron and inflammable air ; for heating red pre* 
cipitate in inflammable air, I then found little or no water; 
but having uled more precautions, I have fince found it in fuf- 
ficient quantity in this procefs, even though the inflammable 
air was previoufly well dried with fixed ammoniac. In this 
experiment I difcontinued the procefs after three ounce meafures 
of air were abforbed, leaving room in the veflel, that the moif- 
ture might be more eafily collected. With this precaution, 
and warming the veflel, I collected between an half and three- 
fourths of a grain of water. 
This experiment may be thought to be unfavourable to my 
prefent hypothefis, as all water was carefully excluded, and yet 
a fufficient quantity was found in the procefs. But befides 
taking into the account the water that is neceflary to conftitute 
the inflammable air, why may not red precipitate, in its dryefl 
ftate, be fuppofed to contain water, as well as the fcales of 
iron, which will bear any degree of heat without parting 
with it. Red precipitate is made by a liquid procefs, and there- 
fore the water, that may enter into its compofition as a calx, 
may quit it when it becomes a metal. 
I fliall take the liberty to obferve farther, that the do&rine 
of the decompofition of water being fet alide, that of phlogijlon 
(which, in confequence of the late experiments on water, has 
been almoft utiiverfally abandoned) will much better ftand its 
ground, as all the newly difcovered fadts are more eafily ex- 
plained by the help of it. 
If water be not decompofed, both metals and fulphur do 
certainly yield inflammable air, when fleam is made to pafs 
over them in a red heat. They cannot, therefore, be fimpli J'ub - 
X 2 ( lances , 
V * 
