constituents. Scheele had now noted that silver nitrate (Lapis infernalis) was
reduced to phlogiston-rich silver upon heating, even in the absence of phlogistoncontaining materials such as charcoal. Thus, reductions could be performed without
the addition of phlogiston-rich materials. In reality, the silver ions are reduced by
the nitrate ions, giving rise to oxygen gas.
Fig. 8.4 Formation of nitrogen oxides by addition of acetic acid to potassium nitrite. Photo
Petra Rönnholm
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8 Scheele in Malmö