Dr. Kane on the Compounds of Ammonia. 63 



B. — The Berzelian view. 



1. It does not assign any proper function or place to ammonia itself, which 

 might be absolutely dropped out of the theory without loss. This view, there- 

 fore, leaves unexplained all combinations of ammonia with bodies which do not 

 contain hydrogen. 



2. That NH3 -\- H.cl becomes nh^ + cl, is purely hypothetical, and highly 

 improbable, the ammonia not exercising any apparent affinity for hydrogen, while 

 that of chlorine for hydrogen is very strong. Hence the duty of proving the 

 change in position of the fourth atom of hydrogen rests with the Berzelian 

 theory, and has not been yet performed. 



C. — The amide theory. 



1 . Our knowledge of the amidogene combinations has been acquired almost 

 exclusively since the theories just noticed had been proposed, and consequently 

 what is now the most important principle in a complete theory, the connexion of 

 the ammonium and of the amidogene compounds with those containing ammonia 

 itself had no place therein. Hence all former theories are insufficient, from the 

 ground that the new facts gained by the study of the metallic amidides cannot 

 be explained by or included within the principles upon which they rest. 



I shall now describe, in a series of propositions, the principles of the theory 

 which I advocate, and then taking each proposition by itself, will sum up the 

 evidence derived from experimental results, by which I consider its validity to be 

 established. 



Prop. I. — That the so called hydracids are not really such ; that hydrogen, in 

 all its forms of combination, is analogous to certain metals of the electro- 

 positive class, and its compounds react like theirs under similar circum- 

 stances. 



II- — That ammonia NH3 is amidide of hydrogen nh^ -\- h, and resembles in some 

 respects the oxide, in others the chloride of the same positive element. 



Ill- — That NHj amidogene may combine with metals, and that the metallic 

 amidides have a singular tendency to combine with the chlorides or oxides of 

 the same metal, or of a metal of the same family, and thus form bodies 

 resembling the chloro-oxides, chloro-sulphurets, or oxysulphurets. 



IV.— That NH3 = NHj -f- H amidide of hydrogen can perform the same functions 



./r 



