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reduetioo. of th^ tvolupie, of ammonia turpeth. Frpm; this cir- 

 cumstance, the view would appear probable that amide and 

 chloride of mercury are equivalent, and hence would follow 

 the equivalency of chlorine to amidogene. This receives fur- 

 ther support from the volume of the double subamide and 

 subchloride of mercury, HggCl + Hgg Ad, which has a volume 

 of 66*8, according to experiment. Calomel itself possesses 

 the volume 33*2, which, deducted from that of the salt just 

 described, gives 33 "6 as the volume of HggAd, showing the 

 jppmplete equivalency of the latter to the subchloride. 

 j.jjlt has been shown that chloride of mercury and chloride 

 of hydrogen are equivalent, and it now remains to be shown 

 by dir-ect proof that amide of hydrogen (ammonia) is embraced 

 in the same category. Ammonia-chloride of copper, CuCl 

 -f NHg, was found with a volume of 39*2 or 9"8 x 4 ; chloride 

 of copper itself affects two volumes, which leaves for Ad, H, 

 as deduced from this salt, also two volumes. But the am- 

 monia in CUCI + 2NH3 + HO, if we were to suppose the salts 

 constituted in a manner so simple as expressed by their em- 

 pirical formulas, M'ould only have a volume of 33*0 for two 

 atoms, or 1^ volume for each. 



In proceeding further, it will be seen that we involve our- 

 selves in inextricable difficulties, if we insist upon the equiva- 

 lency of NHgH to HO; or suppose the ammoniacal salts, 

 such as those described, to be constituted on the type of the 

 hydrated salts. Thus, ammonia-sulphate of copper, CuO, 

 SO3 + 2NH3 + HO, has a volume of 68-6 or 9-8 x 7 in its solid 

 state, and of 54 or 9 x 6 when in solution. Deducting 19*6 

 for CuO, SO3, and 9-8 for HO, there is again left 39'2, or 

 9*8 x 4 for two atoms of ammonia. The simple salt, CuO, SO3 

 + HN3, has a volume of 39-2, which leaves 19'6, or 9*8 x 2 for 

 one atom of ammonia ; but the same salt, when combined with 

 three atoms of water, yields the volume 63*6, which would 

 lead us to suppose that one atom of water is equal to one 

 atom of ammonia. We also find ammonia with the volume 

 11, or unity, when calculated from the observed volume of hy- 

 drated sulphate of ammonia. But in the ammonia-chromate 

 of silver, x\gO, Cr03-t-2NHs, and in its corresponding sul- 

 phate, we find on deducting 33*0, or 11 x 3 for the salts them- 

 selves, the residual 33*0 for two atoms of ammonia. Again, 

 however, we become perplexed by finding that the ammonia 

 in ammonia-pernitrate of mercury possesses the volume of an 

 atom of water. Thus, then, by considering the volumes of the 

 ammoniacal salts as containing their ammonia quasi ammonia, 

 and as constituted on the type of the hydrated salts, we ob- 

 tain the contradictory and absurd result, that ammonia, though 



