Page:The Liquefaction of Gases.djvu/82

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78
Northmore.

goggles, or at least a thick plate of glass when examining the results.

I now took a new receiver of three cubic inches of capacity, and pumped in one pint of carbonic acid, and upon this rather more than a pint of oxigenated muriatic acid gas.

The union produced a light sap-green colour, but no fluid, though as usual the oil of the machine had retained enough efficacy to destroy vegetable colours.

Exp. 15. Upon rather more than a pint of hidrogen, which was highly elastic, were compressed two pints of the oxigenated muriatic gas. The result was a light yellow-green colour, and no fluid. Some smoke or vapour seemed to issue out of the receiver upon turning the screw, and the gas was highly destructive of colouring matter.

Exp. 16. I now proceeded to the muriatic acid gas, and upon the condensation of a small quantity of it, a beautiful green coloured substance adhered to the side of the receiver, which had all the qualities of muriatic acid; but upon a large quantity, four pints, being condensed, the result was a yellowish-green glutinous substance, which does not evaporate, but is instantly absorbed by a few drops of water; it is of a highly pungent quality, being the essence of muriatic acid. As this gas easily becomes fluid, there is little or no elasticity, so that any quantity may be condensed without danger. My method of collecting this, and other gases which are absorbable by water, is by means of an exhausted florence flask (and in some cases an empty bladder) connected by a stop-cock with the extremity of the retort.

An idea here occurs to me, that the facility of fixation which is the property of the compressed muriatic, oxy-muriatic, and some other gases, may be made of some utility to the arts, since by previously pouring in