Muriatic acid

“ If it is considerably more so, no harm can accrue, but if the acid should be in excess, injury might be done. There should be sulphuric acid enough to decompose enough of the salt to liberate an equivalent of muriatic acid, of which there should be as much as is sufficient to give the hides a uniform color, and cause them to swell or puff up slightly. ”

“ Every alkali work must be carried on so as to ensure the condensation of not less than 95% of muriatic acid evolved therein; and it must be so condensed that in each cubic foot of air, smoke, or chimney gases, escaping from the works into the atmosphere, there is not contained more than one fifth part of a grain of muriatic acid. ”

“ First wash the sore well with strong warm soap suds, then drop 8 or 10 drops of muriatic acid in it twice a day, until it has the appearance of a fresh wound, after which it should be washed clean with soap suds from castile soap and then left to heal, which it will quickly do if the acid has been used long enough in a proper manner; but if it does not get well, wash as before, and apply the acid until a cure is effected. It is a sure remedy, and will not fail if applied properly until the disease is burnt out or killed. ”

“ When the impregnation of water with this gas is pushed beyond a certain point, the superabundant acid precipitates to the bottom of the vessels in a concrete form. Mr Berthollet has [Pg 235] shown that this acid is capable of combining with a great number of the salifiable bases; the neutral salts which result from this union are susceptible of deflagrating with charcoal, and many of the metallic substances; these deflagrations are very violent and dangerous, owing to the great quantity of caloric which the oxygen carries alongst with it into the composition of oxygenated muriatic acid. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Mr Scheele's process, which was repeated with great success by Mr Morveau, in the laboratory at Dijon, is as follows: Distil muriatic acid from the black oxyd of manganese, this converts it into oxygenated muriatic acid, by carrying off the oxygen from the manganese, receive this in a recipient containing white oxyd of arsenic, covered by a little distilled water; the arsenic decomposes the oxygenated muriatic acid, by carrying off its supersaturation of oxygen, the arsenic is converted into arseniac acid, and the oxygenated muriatic acid is brought back to the state of common muriatic acid. ”

“ The note runs, “Indications of the decomposition of muriatic acid. To use every effort to ensure accuracy in the results.” He seems to have decomposed muriatic acid gas by means of charcoal terminals, and also to have acted on a mixture of dry calcium chloride and mercury.
On June 30th he contributed a paper to the Royal Society on “Electro-Chemical Researches on the Decomposition of the Earths; with Observations on the Metals obtained from the alkaline Earths, and on the Amalgam procured from Ammonia.” ”

“ When sulphuric acid is used to precipitate the sulphur, sulphate of lime is formed and cannot be separated from the precipitated sulphur by the ordinary process of washing, that salt being insoluble in water; for this reason muriatic acid should be used, as the salt thus formed, the muriate of lime or chloride of calcium is perfectly soluble and can be readily separated from the sulphur by washing. ”

“ When fused in chlorine or with iodine, it is not decomposed, nor does solution of chlorine affect it. Cold sulphuric acid has no action on it; when hot, it dissolves it, but water separates the substance without alteration. Boiling muriatic acid does not affect it, and nitro-muriatic acid only with great difficulty.
These results show that no nitric acid is present in the substance, and other experiments prove that no oxide of nitrogen exists in it; it contains no oxalic or other organic acid, for when its salt is boiled with chloride of gold, the latter is not reduced. ”

“ Odour, strong and pungent; if exposed to the air it emits white fumes. Taste, intensely sour and caustic; it is however the weakest of the three mineral acids; and no remarkable elevation of temperature is produced by dilution. Chemical Composition. The liquid acid is a solution of muriatic acid gas in water; when of the specific gravity 1·16, according to Davy, it contains 32·32 per cent of the gas, which recent experiments have shewn to be a compound of Chlorine (Oxy-muriatic acid) and hydrogen in equal volumes. ”

“ The symptoms caused by all the three acids are so nearly the same, that after a detailed account of those occasioned by sulphuric acid, it will not be necessary to add much on the subject under the head of nitric and muriatic acid.
M. Tartra considers that four varieties may be observed in the effects of the mineral acids. 1. Speedy death from violent corrosion and inflammation; 2. Slow death from a peculiar organic disease of the stomach and intestines; 3. Imperfect recovery, the person remaining liable ever after to irritability of the stomach ”

“ Muriatic acid, hot or cold, produces no effect; hot nitro-muriatic dissolves the ore with energy, red fumes are evolved, and generally a red solution obtained, from which ammonia precipitates red oxyd of iron abundantly. ”

“ It is in catarrh of the bile-ducts that nitric and nitro-muriatic acids have proved useful, rather than in cirrhosis and other diseases of the liver-tissues. They prevent fermentation, promote oxidation, and increase the activity of the assimilative functions. When there occurs active fermentation of certain foods, and consequently considerable flatulence, excellent results are obtained from the members of the antiseptic group—from creasote or carbolic acid, salicylic acid, biborate of sodium, the benzoates, etc. ”

“ From the expansion, it appears most probable that aëriform muriatic acid, and nitrous oxide, have a certain affinity for each other, and [Pg 249] that they combine when mingled together; for in the last experiment, the increase of volume cannot be accounted for by supposing that nitrous oxide undergoes less change of volume than muriatic acid, by aëriform combination with water, and that the expansion depended upon the solution of some of its combined water by the muriatic acid. ”

“ A substance in one age supposed to be simple, in another is proved to be compound, and vice versâ. A theoretical nomenclature is liable to continual alterations: oxygenated muriatic acid is as improper a term as dephlogisticated marine acid. Every school believes itself to be in the right: and if every school assumes to itself the liberty of altering the names of chemical substances in consequence of new ideas of their composition, there can be no permanency in the language of the science; it must always be confused and uncertain. ”

“ The foregoing given preparation will be found to answer the purpose for disinfecting, injecting and preserving corpses. For injecting purposes, the solution should be used fresh, and the muriatic acid only added to it, for a more copious liberation of both carbonic acid and chlorine, when ready to inject the liquid, as the antiseptic properties of the solution depend altogether on its gaseous evolutions. ”

“ The same process takes place when effected in the system, the source of which new acid is the stomach, which, when in an irritable and feeble state, as in indigestion, furnishes or abounds with muriatic acid. In like manner, the urine containing salts, called phosphate of lime, ammonia, and magnesia, on receiving an additional quantity of ammonia, [18] the lime, for the less affinity to phosphoric acid than the ammonia, is thrown down; and hence a salt, bearing its name, is generated, either to be expelled like gravel, or to feed a nucleus already existing in the bladder. ”

“ Chloride of spiroil may be obtained by decomposing hydrospiroilic acid by means of chlorine. In a suitable apparatus and without the application of heat, dry chlorine gas was passed over the anhydrous acid; evolution of muriatic acid immediately commenced: if the chlorine be evolved but slowly, only a slight elevation of temperature takes place. Chlorine is to be passed through this solution so long as fumes of muriatic acid are evolved: the hydrospiroilic acid is entirely converted into a white crystalline mass. ”

“ The treatment is to neutralize the excess of either: the acid diathesis, as it is called, is considered a less healthy deviation than the alkaline, and is looked upon as indicative of greater constitutional break-up. The medicines most in vogue in gravelly disorders are, turpentine (to increase the formation of lithic acid) , sulphuric, nitric, and muriatic acids; while the antagonists to that form of the disease, wherein the above are given, consist of ammonia, potass, and soda. ”

“ In this way 100 parts of sea-salt will yield 130 parts of muriatic acid, of spec. grav. 1·19; while the sulphate of soda in the retort will afford from 208 to 210 of that salt in crystals.
It is proper to heat all the parts of the cylinders equably, to insure the simultaneous decomposition of the salt, and to protect it from the acid; for the hotter the iron, and the stronger the acid, the less erosion ensues. ”

“ For its full activity it requires the presence of a free acid, as the artificial gastric juice becomes much less active in dissolving food when neutralized by an alkali, though it retains other properties, as that of coagulating milk-like rennet. If the artificial juice be precipitated by nitrate of lead, the precipitate washed, and then decomposed by sulphuret of hydrogen; the solution thus obtained possesses all the digestive powers of the juice. Hence, the pepsine and muriatic acid act together, by combining with oxide of lead. ”

“ The alkali of the soap enters into combination with the muriatic acid of the muriate of ammonia, and forms thereby muriate of potass, or soda, and ammoniacal gas (on which the virtue of the plaster depends) is slowly but abundantly liberated, acting as a powerful stimulant and rubefacient: it should be applied immediately after it is formed, and be renewed every twenty-four hours, otherwise the intention is lost; (Pharmacopœia Chirurgica.) ”

“ The new method of bleaching with the dephlogisticated or oxygenated muriatic acid, or spirit of salt combined with manganese, is founded upon the remarkable property which that acid possesses of destroying vegetable colours ”

“ Liquid muriatic acid has a very sour corrosive taste, a pungent suffocating smell, and acts very powerfully upon a vast number of mineral, vegetable, and animal substances. It is much employed for making many metallic solutions; and in combination with nitric acid, it forms the aqua regia of the alchemists, so called from its property of dissolving gold. ”

“ I find that a solution of a chlorine salt dissolved in an excess of muriatic acid serves my purpose as a bath for this refining treatment. I claim as my invention (1) the method of refining all grades of coarse hair, which consists in subjecting it to the action of chemicals, whereby the surface of each hair is corroded or dissolved away, and its diameter reduced, substantially as set forth; (2) the method of refining coarse hair, which consists in subjecting it to the action of a bath composed of muriatic acid, in which is dissolved a chlorine salt, substantially as set forth ”

“ Thus muriatic acid is added for its chlorine, which can generally be detected by the impression produced, being of a light, soft, mellow tone, and in most cases presenting a brilliant black to that colored drapery. Those who wish to experiment with agents for accelerating substances, should first study to well understand their peculiar nature and properties; as well, also, to endeavor to find out what will be the probable changes they undergo in combination as an accelerator. This should be done before making the experiments. ”

“ The whole body often appeared cold upon the approach of the disease. A black spot then occurred, but without marks of inflammation, on one of the cheeks or lips. The whole cheek was sometimes destroyed, and the lower jaw fell down upon the breast. Muriatic acid, infusion of roses, the effervescing draught, and, in the decline of the disease, bark, broths, jellies, and wine, besides magnesia or rhubarb, to remove the putrid matters swallowed, were the internal remedies employed. The parts were washed and injected with muriatic acid, diluted with chamomile or sage tea ”

“ It is obvious also that nitrate of silver, and all the metallic salts whose bases form insoluble compounds with muriatic acid, are incompatible with it. Uses. Rarely employed as an internal remedy, externally it is employed in lotions, either for the cold produced during its solution, in which case it should be applied as soon as the salt is dissolved, or for the stimulus of the salt, on which principle it acts as a powerful discutient in indolent tumours (Form. 146.) It is also an ingredient in a very useful plaster, in which it undergoes chemical decomposition ”