Hence it would require an infinite number of experiments to ascertain the real quantities of acid, nitrous gas, and water, contained in the different diluted nitrous acids; and after these quantities were determined, they would probably have no important connection with the chemical arrangement. As yet, our instruments of experiment are not sufficiently exact to afford us the means of ascertaining the ratio in which the attraction of nitric acid[43] for water diminishes in its progress towards saturation. [43] Probably in the ratio of the square of the quantity of water united to it. The estimations in the following table, of the real quantities of nitric acid in solutions of different specific gravities, were deduced from experiments made in the manner described in section VI, except that the phial employed was longer, narrower, and graduated to half grains. The temperature, at the time of combination, was from 40° to 46°. TABLE III. _Of the Quantities of True NITRIC ACID in solutions of different SPECIFIC GRAVITIES._ +----------------+-----+-------------+-------+ |100 Parts Nitric| |True Acid[44]| Water | |Acid of specific| | | | | gravity | | | | +----------------+ +-------------+-------+ | 1,5040 | c | 91,55 | 8,45 | | 1,4475 | o | 80,39 | 19,61 | | 1,4285 | n | 71,65 | 28,35 | | 1,3906 | t | 62,96 | 37,04 | | 1,3551 | a | 56,88 | 43,12 | | 1,3186 | i | 52,03 | 47,97 | | 1,3042 | n | 49,04 | 50,96 | | 1,2831 | | 46,03 | 53,97 | | 1,2090 | | 45,27 | 54,73 | +----------------+-----+-------------+-------+ [44] The quantities of Oxygene and Nitrogene in any solution, may be thus found—— Let A = the true acid, X the oxygene, and Y the nitrogene. Then 238 A A X = —————— and Y = ———— 239 239 XII. The blue green spherules mentioned in section V. produced by the condensation of nitrous vapor, and by the combination of nitric acid with nitrous gas, may be considered as saturated solutions of nitrous gas in nitric acid. The combinations of nitric acid and nitrous gas containing a larger proportion of nitrous gas, are incapable of existing in the fluid state at common temperatures; and, as appears from the first experiment, an increase of volume takes place during their formation. They consequently ought to be looked upon as solutions of nitric acid in nitrous gas, identical with the nitrous vapor of Priestley.