Mr. Davy on a new fulminating platinum. 153 
a bottle of strong muriatic acid, and placed it at the open end 
of the tube. I then exploded the powder by the heat of the 
spirit lamp ; at the instant of the explosion, a quantity of dense 
white vapour, like muriate of ammonia, made its appearance. 
The effects are similar, when aurum fulminans is treated 
in the same way. I have mentioned the appearance of mois- 
ture in cases when fulminating platinum was exploded in 
close vessels, after being well dried ; and it is proper to state, 
that the uniform exhibition of water in such circumstances, 
in much greater quantity than could be formed in the expe- 
riments, leads to the conclusion that this fluid is one of its 
constituent parts. 
From the statements that have been made, it appears that 
fulminating platinum is a triple compound, consisting of oxide 
of platinum, ammonia, and water. The experiments already 
detailed seem to prove that 100 grains of the powder contain. 
r platinum 
73-75 
1 oxygene 
8-75 
’•ammonia and water 
> 7 - 5 ° 
100,00 
f oxide of platinum 
82.5 
[ ammonia and water 
17-5 
100.0 
Approximations to the respective quantities of ammonia 
and water, in ico grains of fulminating platinum, may be 
gained from calculations made on the results furnished in one 
of the previous experiments given in detail. In the expert- 
mdcccxvil X 
