Decompofuion of dephlogijllcated and Inflammable yJir. 2 i 5 
maintained by the favourers of their fyftem, that the water 
only in the liquor which I procured came from the union of 
the two kinds of air, and the acid from the phlogifticated air 
which I had not been able to exclude. 
_ ^ ut l et an y perfon only confider the very fmall quantity of 
nitrous acid which was procured by Mr. Cavendish from the 
certain decompofition of 3194 grain meafures of atmofpherical 
air, amounting to more than fj ounce meafures in one cafe, 
and of 2710 grain meafures, amounting to 5! ounce meafures* 
in another caie (Phil. Tranf. Vol. LXXVIII. p. 2 6 4 . 26 8.) 
three-fourths of which was phlogifticated air ; and the vaftly 
greater quantity which I procured (Ibid. p. 324.), when it 
could not be proved, that a particle of phlogifticated air was 
ecompofed, and think whether it was at all probable, that 
the acid came from this kind of air, ^nd not from the union of 
the dephlogifticated and inflammable air, which evidently dif- 
appeared 111 very great quantities. This circumftance alone 
might have fatisfied thofe who intereft themfelves in this quef- T 
tion ; but it does not feem to have been attended to. 
I have now, however, effedually removed the objedHon 
above mentioned, by intirely excluding all phlogifticated air 
from the procefs ; the dephlogifticated air which I at prefent 
ule being fo pure, that it contains no fenfible quantity of phlo- 
gifticated air. I alfo make ufe of no air-pump, but firft fill 
the copper veflel with water, and then difplace it by the rnix- 
tureof the two kinds of air; yet, in thefe chcumftances, in 
which all phlogifticated air is excluded, I procure even a 
irronger acid than before. 
The paper that I fend along with this article contains the 
dry refiduum of the turbid green liquor, produced by a finale 
explofion of a mixture of two parts inflammable and fome- 
