C H E M I 
a combination of muriat of lime with the excefs of lime 
djfengaged by the foda feparated by the carbonic acid. 
Potalh is the oniy alkali which decompofes muri it of 
foda ; muriat of potafh is formed, and the foda remains 
free. Many methods have been tried for extracting foda 
from marine fait; but they all come to the lame end, that 
of converting the muriat of foda into fulphat of foda, 
of decoinpofing this by charcoal, and of abforbing the 
fulp'hur by means of calcareous ?arth or iron. For de- 
compofing muriat of foda by a metallic oxyd, Mix four 
parts of muriat of foda with one of femi-vitreous oxyd 
of lead or litharge; beat it up in a little water; the li¬ 
tharge lofes its colour by degrees ; a white matter is pro¬ 
duced, and the foda may be extracted by wafhings. This 
is Turner's procefs. The decompofition may be accom- 
plilhed alfo, by difl'olving twenty-five parts of marine 
fait in thirty parts of water; pulverile ioo parts of li¬ 
tharge, and mix it in a gentle heat, about 70°, but 
without letting it boil; for ebullition retards the decom¬ 
pofition. A very white muriat of lead is the .product; 
the iead is eafily feparated from the muri it, by mixing it 
with charcoal and expofmg it to a Ilrong heat. 
Muriat of foda is of extenfiye ufe in'the arts, and in 
culinary affairs. In chemiftry, it is employed in the for¬ 
mation of the fimple and oxygenated muriatic acids ; with 
tanners, for preparing the Hungarian hides, in the gla¬ 
zing of pottery, by producing a flight fufion of the ex¬ 
terior furface of the ware ; in glafs-making, to render 
the glafs whiter and clearer; in docimaftic allays, either 
as a flux to facilitate the precipitation of metals from the 
fcoriae, or to prevent their alteration by the contafl of 
the atmofphere; in halting and preferving vegetable and 
animal fubllances, and it is univerfally tiled as a feafoning 
for food ; it facilitates digeition, by producing a com¬ 
mencement of the putrid alteration in the alimentary fub- 
ftances. For though it is well afcertained, by the expe¬ 
riments of Pringle, M’Bride, &c. that it retards putre- 
faCfion, and, like moft faline matters, is a powerful an- 
tifeptic when added in confiderable quantities to animal 
matters ; yet it a6ls in a very different manner when 
mixed with thofe fubftances in,a fmall dole, finceit caufes 
them to putrefy more quickly This fact is proved- by 
the experiments of the author of Efiiiys intended to ferve 
as an Iiillory of Putrefaction, and likewif’e by thofe of 
Mr. Gardane. This fait is not of leis utility in medicine; 
it is put into the mouth, and employed externally as a 
powerful llimulant in apoplectic or paralytic diforders; 
and is in many cafes a good difeuffive. It is particularly 
recommended by Dr. Rufl’el for lymphatic tumours, ant¬ 
ing from a fcr.op.hulo,us difpofition of tlie animal fyllem. 
It proves purgative when adminillered ; in a dole of l'eve- 
ral drachms. As it is the impure lull that is commonly 
ufed, its effects are in part to be attributed to the cal¬ 
careous and magnefia muriats which it contains 
Muriat of Strontian. — I'he lame procefs is ufed 
in preparing this fait, as is direCted for nit rat of ftrontian. 
The fulphuric and nitric acid's decompoleit; alfo ba¬ 
rytes, potalh, and foda. By burning alcohol, which 
holds muriat of ftrontian in folution', the flame is of a 
purplifli-red colour, which diftinguifties this fait from 
that of barytes and all others. The cryftals of muriat 
of ftrontian are ftender delicate prifms, fometinies two 
inches long, having aloftlilky appearance. Thefe prifms 
are all hexagonal, lome having all their tides equal, others 
having two broad fides, with two intervening narrow 
ones, while another fort is feen with three broad, alter¬ 
nating with three narrow, fides. At one time they end 
abruptly, at another, an obtufe trihedral pyramid termi¬ 
nates them, and now and then they are feen pointed like 
a needle. If a few drops of a folution of this fait be 
put on a plated glafs, it will faon difeoyer itielf, by 
fhooting into long [lender needles, which are often dif- 
pofed in a radiated form. Thefe cryftals, when flrongly 
dried, fuller little change from ex.pofure to air. They 
rieliquefee, however, in a moilt atmolphere. At the tem- 
S T R Y. 247 
perature of 6o°, an ounce of diHilled water is capable of 
difl'olving one ounce four' drachms and one fciuple of 
this fait. The folubility of muriat of ftrontian is greatly 
increafed by heat- If ilrong muriatic acid be added to a 
faturated folution of this lalt, an iminedi ite precipitation 
is produced.. The talle of this lalt is Ih up and penetrat¬ 
ing. It lofes. forty-two percent, by ex loiure to a'ilrong 
fii’e, and is converted into a white powder, which melts 
when the crucible is heated to redivels. Its acid is not 
diflipafed by fufion in a Ilrong fire, though this effedl 
may be produced by expofmg it to the ltronger heat of a 
blow-pipe. 
Muriat of Lime. —This is a combination of muriatic 
acid with lime. It is found almoll every where; in the 
matters containing l’altpetre, in calcareous earths, fea- 
water, the mother-waters of falt-pits, the wells of Paris, 
See. It is made by dec mpoliag carbonat of lime with 
muriatic acid ; when the laturation is complete, llrain 
and evaporate. Its fade is acrid and bitter. It lofes a 
portion of its acid in a violent heat, but not the whole; 
the refidue is muriat of lime with an excefs of bale; this 
is called Baldwin's pbofphorus, as it is luminous in the 
dark, efpecialiy if rubbed with an iron blade. It is fuf- 
ceptible of-the aqueous and igneous fufions. If, during 
the igneous fufion, bars of iron be plunged therein, a 
cruft is formed over them, and they will then exhibit a 
bright-phofphoric light in the dark. Expofed to the air, 
it attrafls humidity, and liquefies ; this is what was for¬ 
merly called oil of lime. Its greedinefs in abforbing the 
humidity of the air, made Lavoifier ufe it for drying of 
gafes, particularly in re-producing water from hydrogen 
gas and oxygen gas. Muriat of lime, therefore, might 
take place of cauftic potafh. It is indeed an accurate 
hygrometer, on account of its abforbing the humidity 
of the atmofphere : for, by expofmg a known weight of 
dried muriat of lime in a determinate quantity of air, 
we can obtain the .real and exaft weight of the water 
contained in that air. 
From what has been faid, it appears that this fait has a 
great affinity with water; yet it crydlallizes-very flowly ; 
though after a proper evaporation; the folution funaiflies 
fix-fided prifms, crowned with pyramids of the fame fhape. 
When the folution has been too much concentrated, 
it cools without cryltallizing; then, if it befndienly agi¬ 
tated, it affumes a foiid form, as hard as llone, and much 
heat is at the fame time, difen-gaged. The fulphuric and 
nitric acids decompofe it, by feizing on its bafe. The 
fulphuric acid drives off the muriatic acid in form of a 
white fmoke; and fulphat of lime is produced. But, as 
nitric acid is not fo ilrong, the precipitation is not io 
plentiful; and, as the nitrat of lime which is formed is 
foluble alfo, the whole remains fufpended in the liquor, 
efpecialiy if it be diluted with water. The oxalic and 
tartnrous acids decompofe it alfo. Barytes, ftrontian, and 
fixed alkalis, decompofe muriat of lime, becaule they 
have more affinity with the muriatic acid than lime has. 
Ammoniac makes no change in it when pure. II it be 
found mixed with carbonic acid, then there is a double 
affinity, and carbonat of lime will be produced. All the 
fulphats, except that of lime,-are reciprocally decompof- 
ed in contafl with muriat of lime: in each cafe fulphat 
of lime is formed, and different muriats, according to the 
fulphats employed. 
Muriat of lime is ufed in medicine, and is employed 
as a folvent. It is very foluble in alcohol, which facili¬ 
tates its reparation from the other falls with which it 
might be mixed. This fait, thus dillblved in aicohol, 
burns with a beautiful red flame; it ihould be agitated 
during the inflammation ; the more the liquor thickens, 
the redder it grows. 
Muriat of Ammoniac. —This fait was called fal am¬ 
moniac by the ancients, becaule they received it from 
Anmonia, in Ly.bia, where the temple of Jupiter Ammon 
was fttuated. ft is found native in the vicinity o; burn¬ 
ing mountains, as Vefuvius, Etna, and even in the Vi- 
varais. 
