Dr, Kane on the Compounds 0/ Ammonia. 71 



decomposed, and water being formed, an amidide to be produced, with which the 

 water remains united. Thus there is SO3-I-NH3 or sOg-NHj-)- oh. 



From the latter view, although supported by the high sanction of Dumas and 

 many others, I must dissent. We have no reason to suppose water to be con- 

 tained in the compound in this eliminated form ; and unless we find no other 

 legitimate method of explaining its origin and properties, an hypothesis of that 

 kind should not be resorted to. 



Previous to discussing the first point of view, I must make some observations 

 as to the view of ammonia being an independent base. This phrase has had its 

 origin in the earliest age of organic chemistry, when the volatile ranking with 

 the fixed alcalies, chemists were contented with the observation that there were 

 salts of ammonia, as there were salts of potash and soda, without recognizing ac- 

 curately any difference of type of constitution amongst them. The progress of 

 analysis, however, pointed out the presence of water in all ordinary ammoniacal 

 salts of the oxygen acids, and hence the notion of the independent basic power 

 of ammonia became almost forgotten. Indeed, if one examines what is said by 

 systematic writers on the combinations of the dry acids with dry ammonia, it will 

 be found that no definite or distinct idea of their nature has been formed ; that 

 they are grouped together to separate them from the real ammoniacal salts, 

 which are said to contain ammonium, but that no opinion of their intimate con- 

 stitution has been hazarded even by Berzelius. In fact in order to understand 

 their nature, our opinions as to the words acid and base must be reviewed. We 

 can no longer look upon oxygen as being the sole negative element of basic 

 bodies, since sulphur identifies itself with it in all its principles of action, and the 

 analogy has been extended with some justice even to chlorine, iodine, and bromine. 

 Hence there can be no doubt but that amidogene, which relates itself to oxygen 

 so closely in a multiplicity of instances, may form the negative element in com- 

 binations of this kind, and as water, oxide of hydrogen, acts as a base, so may 

 ammonia as amidide of hydrogen. The difference between the vague old idea 

 of ammonia as an alkali, and the definite principle of the basic power of amidide 

 of hydrogen will be at once felt ; in fact the alkali, the body which resembles 

 and replaces in combination the other alkalies, potash and soda, is not ammonia, 

 but ammonia and water, not amidide of hydrogen, but oxide of ammonium, (of 

 Berzelius). Whilst the amidide of hydrogen, ammonia alone, is analogous to, 



