Decompofition of dephkgifiicaied and inflammable Air . a i 7 
tlty was reduced to lefs than four hundredth parts of one mea- 
fure ; fo that it is probable that, by a more accurate pro- 
portion of the two kinds of air, and greater addrefs in mixing 
them, they might have almoft intirely difappeared. There is 
befides fome reafon to think, from the great variety in nitrous 
air, that the greater part of this very fmall refiduum comes 
from the nitrous air, and not from the dephlogifiicated. 
It will be faid, how is it poffible to reconcile the refult of 
this experiment with that of M. Lavoisier and his friends ? 
which I was by no means difpofed to queflion after the publi- 
cation of the Extract from the Regifer of the Academy of Sci- 
ences for Auguf 28, 1790, in the feventh volume of the 
Annales de Chimie , in which a diftind account is given of a 
large quantity of very pure water procured from the flow com- 
bullion of the two kinds of air above mentioned : for before 
this it was acknowledged, that fome little acid was always 
found in the water fo procured. 
But my late experiments, befides afcertaining the fad of the 
produdion of nitrous acid from the decompofition of dephlo* 
gifticated and inflammable air, throw fome farther light on the 
fubjed, and may in fome meafure explain their refult; for X 
am now able to procure, in my own procefs, either nitrous acid 
or pure water, from the fame materials. 
I conftantly obferve, that if there be a furplus of dephlo- 
gifticated air, the refult of the explofion is always the acid 
liquor ; but that if there be a furplus of inflammable air, the 
refult is Amply water. That phlogifticated air is not in all cafes 
affeded by this procefs, X completely afcertained, by admitting 
a little common air into that mixture of the two kinds of air 
which always produced water, and finding nothing but water 
in the refult. 
Vol. LXXXI. G g I find, 
