CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 



ON THE XATUBE OF THE SIMPLE BODIES. 



THE Comptes Rendus for December 18-58, contains a long memoir, by Des- 

 prctz, on his researches to ascertain whether certain of the so-called elements 

 are decomposable. His laborious and careful investigations have led to no 

 decomposition; and he announces the conclusion, that the substances called 

 elementary are really elementary, or incapable of decomposition. The author 

 should have added, that they were not decomposable by the methods he 

 used, for it is not probable that there is nothing more to be done in this 

 branch of research. His process consists in submitting theclemcnt cad- 

 mium, for example to the physical and chemical reagents ordinarily em- 

 ployed in analysis. He transforms it into an oxide, then into salts of all 

 kinds ; decomposes these salts by chemical and galvanic methods ; precipi- 

 tates the metal at one time at the positive pole, another at the negative ; 

 examines the crystalline form; turns it again into salts, which he decom- 

 poses; vaporizes the metal by means of the pile; and thus causes an element 

 to pass through a great number of different states, and still arrives at the 

 same clement. While rendering justice to the zeal and patience of Mr. 

 Dcspretz, AVC have to regret that these good qualities have been here wasted; 

 for the researches would be a hinderance to the progress of science, if taken 

 seriously. 



Dumas took upon himself the refutation of M. Desprctz, and brought to 

 the subject his well-known ability. He prefaced his remarks by presenting 

 the following table, which exhibits an interesting relation between the equiv- 

 alents of certain simple and compound bodies. 



Fl 19 Cl 35 5 Br 80 I 127 \ Differer 

 X 14 I'll 31 As 75 Sb 122 J 



Mg 12-25 Ca 20 Sr 43-75 Ba 6S-5 Pb 103-5 ) Dif r erence 4 



O 8 S 16 Se 39 75 Te 61-5 Os 99 5 / 



Ammonium 18 Methylamine 32 Ethylaminc 46 Fropylamine GO, etc. 1 ^-^ 3 

 Metliylium 15 Etliylium 29 Fropylium 43 Butylium 57, etc. j 



As this relation suggests a doubt as to the elements being simple, Dumas 

 took occasion to express his opinion on this important question. 



Since the radicals (elements) in mineral chemistry present the same gen- 

 eral relations as those in organic, he believes there is reason for" bringing the 

 two branches more closely together than is usually done. We can decom- 

 pose the latter, and there is no proof that we may not decompose the 



