Chat. 11 .
COMPOSITION AND USE OP MINERALS.
647
Chloric Acid is a sour, colourless liquid ; it reddens vegetable blues ; the compounds ofchloric acid, giving oft* oxygen with facility when heat is applied, promote the rapid defla-gration of inflammable matter. It is decomposed by muriatic and sulphurous acids, and by
sulphuretted hydrogen.
Chlorine - 1
36
47-4 - 45
Oxygen - 5
40
52-6 - 55
1
76
100-0 100
This acid cannot exist independent, without water
or some other base.
Perchloric Acid is a very stable
not decomposed by sulphuric or mu-
riatie acid. Its specific gravity is
1 -6, and it boils at 392°.
Chlorine - 1
36
39-2 - 1-0
Oxygen - 7
56
60-8 - 3-5
1
92
1000
Hydrochloric or Muriatic Acid. —This gas is unrespirable, is inflammable, and has a strongattraction for water, which takes up 480 times its bulk of muriatic acid gas, and forms theliquid muriatic acid. Its specific gravity is 1-269, as compared with air. Muriatic acidgas consists of
Chlorine 1 - 36 97*2o - 1
1 37 100-00 2
Iodine has a bluish black colour, pungent odour, and acrid taste, melts at 227*, and isvaporised at 350°. Its vapour is of a line purple colour. In a state of vapour 100cubical inches weigh 264*75 grains. Its specific gravity, compared with air, is 8-7, and withhydrogen 125. It renders vegetable colour yellow.
Oxide of Iodine. -An alkali poured into its solution is rendered colourless.
Iodic acid; 1 of iodine and 5 of oxygen.
Bromine, at common temperatures and pressures, is a deep reddish-brown liquid, of adisagreeable odour; its specific gravity is 3°; 100 cubic inches of its vapour weigh 168grains.
Bromic acid is sour, inodorous, first reddens, and then destroys the blue of litmus.
Eromine
- 1
78
-
66-1
Oxygen
5
-
40
-
33-9
1
1 18
100*0
Fluorine is not found in an insulated state, but its equivalent number has been considered16. It is a component of fluor spar, but supposed not to combine with either oxygen,chlorine, iodine, or bromine.
Fluor Spar is composed of one-third of fluoric acid and two-thirds of lime; fluoricacid dissolves silica, and corrodes glass.
Sulphur is a mineral product, and found crystallised and massive, most frequentlyin combination with iron, silver, lead, copper, &c. Its specific gravity varies from 1 -970to 2, or is twice the weight of water.
Sulphur is found in beds in the blue clay formation on the southern coast of Sicily , andin the gypsum of the salt deposits in Switzerland . The sulphurites and pyrites of themetals afford it in abundance. It begins to fuse at a temperature of 216°, and between230 and 270° it is perfectly liquid; between 300° and 400' J it becomes viscid, but regainsits fluidity when cooled. It boils at 600°, and then sublimes into an orange-colouredvapour : when heated to 300° and poured into warm water, it acquires the consistency ofsoft wax, and hardens on cooling.
Sulphurous Acid , at common temperatures, is a gaseous body , obtained by burningsulphur in oxygen gas; its specific gravity is 2*22; 100 cubic inches weigh between 68and 69 grains : its specific gravity, as compared with hydrogen, is as 32 to 1. This gasis one of those most easily condensed.
Sulphur
- 1
-
16
50
Oxygen
_ 2
-
16
50
1
32
100
This, acid consists of 100 volumes of oxygen gas, and 16*6 of the vapour of sulphur,condensed into 100 volumes. It is gaseous, transparent, colourless, with a pungent andsuffocating odour, and water absorbs about S3 times its volume.
t t 4