Chap. II.

Acids.

321

AgUA ALCALINA OXYMtlRIATICA. Dub.

Oxymuriatic Alkaline Water.

Take of

Dried muriate of soda, two pounds ;

Manganese, ir, powder, one pound;

Water,

Sulphuric acid, each two pounds.

Mix the muriate of soda and manganese; put them into amatrass, and pour on the water. Then, by means of a pro-per apparatus, add the sulphuric acid gradually, and atdifferent times, and pass the gas thus extricated through asolution of four ounces of carbonate of kali, in twenty-nineounces, by measure, of water. Towards the end of theoperation, heat the matrass moderately.

The specific gravity is 108/.

This is commonly considered as a solution of the oxygen-ated muriate of potass; the oxymuriatic acid is disengagedin the matrass, by the action of the sulphuric acid on themuriate of soda, and black oxide of manganese, which latterfurnishes the additional dose of oxygen to the muriatic aciddisengaged from the former; and the oxymuriatic acid gasthus formed, readily combines with the potass of the solutionof the alkaline salt, through which it is made to pass whilethe carbonic acid is expelled.

But, according to Sir Humphry Davy, this is a combina-tion of chlorine with potass: the hydrogen of the muriaticacid in the muriate of soda combining with the oxygen of theblack oxide of manganese, the chlorine is set at liberty,and combines with the potass dissolved in the water throughwhich it is made to pass.

Oxymuriate of potass in solution was some years agostrongly recommended as an antisyphilitic remedy, and itsuse was extended to other cutaneous diseases, and finally tofever and spasmodic diseases, as a general stimulant. It wasgiven in the dose of from three to ten grains, four times a-day,gradually increasing to 25 or 30. At the time, many singu-lar cures performed by means of it were recorded, but it hasfallen into disuse, and we do not now hear of its employment;although its introduction so lately into the Dublin Pharma-copoeia would lead us to presume that it is still used in Ire-land. It sometimes acted as a diuretic, always as a stimulant;and it is singular, that in some cases, in which it producedlittle or no effect, it passed off undecomposed in the urine.