148 Mr. J, Davy on a gaseous Compound 
in volume of it, expelling two parts of carbonic acid gas ; and 
in being itself not expelled from ammonia by any of the acid 
gasses, or by acetic acid. Independent of these circumstances, 
were power of saturation to be taken as the measure of affi- 
nity, the attraction of this gas for ammonia must be allowed 
to be greater than that of any other substance, for its saturat- 
ing pow T er is greater ; no acid condenses so large a proportion 
of ammonia ; carbonic acid only condenses half as much, and 
yet does not form a neutral salt. The great saturating and 
neutralizing powers of this gas are singular circumstances, 
and particularly singular when compared with those of mu- 
riatic acid gas. 
In consequence of its being decomposed by water, I have 
not been able to ascertain whether it is capable of combining 
with the fixed alkalies. Added to solutions of these substances 
it was absorbed, and carbonic acid gas was disengaged by an 
acid. 
I have made the experiment on the native carbonates of lime 
and barytes, but the gas did not decompose these bodies. This 
indeed might be expected, since quick-lime, I find, does not 
absorb the gas : a cubic inch of it, exposed to the action of 
lime in a tube over mercury, was only diminished in two days 
to nine-tenths of a cubic inch, and no further absorption was 
afterwards observed to take place. But even this circumstance 
does not demonstrate that the gas has no affinity for lime, and 
is not capable of combining with it; for on making a similar 
experiment with carbonic acid, substituting this gas for the 
new compound, the result was the same ; in two days only 
about one- tenth of a cubic inch was absorbed. 
Though the gas is decomposed by water, yet it appears to 
