O X Y

O X Y

( 1 99 )

Both in colour and odour the liquid acid isfimilar to, but weaker than the gas, to the tafteit is auftere and fomewhat acrid, but not four.

It differs from other acids in entirely difchargingall vegetable colours except charcoal black, norare they capable of being reftored by the fubfe-quent application of an alkali. The fame effectsare produced by the gaffeous acid, but if this ina concentrated ftate is allowed to remain longin contaft with vegetable fibre, it weakens itstexture, and turns it firft to yellow and atlength brown, by carrying off the hydrogenand reducing the carbon nearly to the ftate ofcharcoal. The colour is in like manner dif-charged from animal fibre, but the deftruftiveaction of the acid on the fibre taking place atthe fame time, a yellow colour is evolved, whichno after procefs can get rid of. Thus if amixed fluff of linen and woollen be dyed withindigo, and afterwards fubmitted to the actionof either the gaffeous or liquid acid, the bluecolour will be found in the courfe of an houror two to be deftroyed, and the fibres of thelinen will appear white, and thofe of the woolyellow.

. Oxymuriatic acid gas, though fatal to animallife, is in many cafes capable of fupportingcombuftion : a lighted taper if plunged fuddenlyin it, is often extinguifhed, but if let downgentiy it continues to burn with a remarkablyred, but fomewhat diminifhed flame, and avery copious fmoke, being at the fame timeconfumed with uncommon rapidity. Lightappears to have no effect on this gas, and itmay be paffed through a red hot earthen orglal's tube without any change, except a tem-porary increafe in bulk. The liquid acid onthe contrary, undergoes a decompofition by theaction of light, oxygen gas being evolved, andthe acid returning, for the moft part at leaft,to the ftate of common muriatic: whence theneceffity of keeping it in an opake bottle, or ina dark clofet.

Oxymuriatic acid gas, when mixed with hy-drogen and paffed through a red hot earthentube, is rapidly decompofed, inflammation anddetonation being the confequence, a fimilareffedt takes place if a lighted match is appliedto the mixed gaffes ; but at the ufual tempera-ture the mutual adhon of thefe two gafi'es isVe ry flow; at length however the oxygen of theaci gas combines with the hydrogen, and liquidmuriatic acid is the refult.

Sulphitr at the common temperature flowlvdecompofes^oxymuriatic acid gas, and is itfelf

1 Picket, in. Ann. d

partly acidified ; but if melted fulphur is intro-duced into a jar full of the gas, an immediateinflammation takes place, and fulphuric acid isformed. The liquid acid has no action on ful-phur.

Sulphuretted hydrogen and oxymuriatic acidgas mutually decompofe each other, but with-out inflammation ; if the latter is lefs in quan-tity than the former the hydrogen only of thefulphuret is oxygenated, but if the acid is con-fiderably in excefs, both the hydrogen and ful-phur are oxygenated, and the products aremuriatic and fulphuric acids and water. Ananalogous effect takes place if the acid andhydro-fulphuret are employed liquid inftead ofgaffeous. When the acid is poured by fuc-ceflive finall portions into the hydro-fulphuret,this latter is decompofed, and its fulphur isprecipitated : but if this is revet fed, and thehydro-fulphuret is poured into the acid, no pre-cipitation takes place, the fulphur being acidi-fied.

Pliofphorus, if cut into fmall pieces and driedin blotting paper, deflagrates with a bright flameas foon as it is introduced into oxymuriatic acidgas, the oxygen being at the fame time trans-ferred from the acid to the phofphorus. Thiscombuftible body has no adtion on the liquidacid, except it is aflifted by a ftrong light: inthis cafe the oxygen, as it quits the oxymuriaticacid, unites flowly and lilently with the phof-phorus, which is thus acidified.

Phofphuretted hydrogen readily decompofesthe gaffeous acid, a flame (not however fobright as when oxygen gas is employed) makingits appearance at the inftant of their union. Ifthe acid and phofphuret are mixed together ina liquid ftate, the decompofition happens withprecifely the fame modifications as we have juftdefcribed with regard to liquid hydrofulphuret.Phofphorized effential oil, by remaining a fewminutes in this acid gas, becomes confiderablyheated, but does not inflame, if however inthis ftate it be removed into the common air,it takes fire with a kind of explofion. b

All the metals decompofe oxymuriatic acidgas, and many of them, if fuflicientiy attenu-ated, undergo adtual inflammation. Thus if aleaf of gold or copper be let down into a wide-mouthed vial full of this gas, the metal willburn with a green light, will be oxydated, andwill then combine with the muriatic acid withwhich it finds itfelf in contact. Several of themetals, fuch as antimony, arfenic, bifmuth, andtin, when reduced to a fine powder and poured

e Chem. xiii. p- H3-