144 Analyses of Boohs. [Aug. 



detailed, and it is unnecessary to say more on the subject here. — ■ 

 (-See Records of General Science, I. 384.) 



Ether, he states, only dissolves an insignificant portion of potash. 

 This however is not consonant with the experiments of Boullay, who 

 found that it dissolves 4 per cent, of hydrated potash. Now, it is 

 scarcely possible to believe that any chemist could err so far as this. 

 This is a question of some importance, because if ether contains an 

 atom of water, as is commonly believed, then analogy could lead 

 us to infer that potash would be soluble in it to half the extent, 

 that alcohol containing two atoms of water, is capable of dissolving 

 that alkali, or at least that it would dissolve potash in some measure. 



The author sums up his experiments by adopting the formulae of 

 Liebig as expressing the composition of ether and alcohol. But as 

 he has assumed the exact symbols of the German chemist, without 

 suiting them to the theory adopted in this country, it may be proper 

 for the advantage of those who are still disposed to retain the simple 

 views of British chemists, to observe, that five theories have been pro- 

 posed for explaining the composition of alcohol and ether. 



1. That of Dumas, who supposes that deuto-carbydrogen t or 

 olefiant gas constitutes a base in organic compounds as ammonia does 

 among inorganic substances. He considers the atoms, however, to 

 be four times more numerous 'than the views of British chemists ad- 

 mit. Thus olefiant gas, according to him, is represented by C^ He, 

 while we should make the formula C^ H^. Sulphuric ether he 

 expresses byC^Hs + H^O. That is, it consists of four atoms 

 deuto-carbydrogen, or olefiant gas + 1 atom of water, and is there- 

 fore, equivalent to our expression, 4CSH2-f HO, or rather, 



2 C^ H* 4- H 0,in consonance with Dr. Thomson's theory. Alcohol 

 is then C^Hs -f-H^O^, or according to our symbols, 4C2 H2 -j- 

 H2 02 or 4 C2 H2 + 2 Aq. 



2. Dumas and Boullay have presented another theory to chemists. 

 The constitutents of ether, according to the best experiments, exist in 

 that liquid in the proportion to form one atom of deuto-carbydrogen 

 and one of water. It is, however, more probable, that the carby- 

 drogen is double this quantity, but for the sake of simplicity, we 

 take it as here expressed. The constitutents are, therefore, 2 C +, 



3 H + O, as represented by the elementary formula. Now, it is 

 obvious, that ^we may view these elements either as combined, 

 according to the previous theory, or we may consider all the hy- 

 drogen as combined with the carbon, constituting a base, to which the 

 oxygen is united so as to form an oxide. The theoretical symbol would 

 then be C2 H^ O, or according to Dumas, C8 Hio Q the radicle 

 being C^ Hi «. Alcohol would then be a hydrate of this oxide, or 

 Cs H^o O -j- H2 O, the hydrogen of what is generally considered 

 one of the atoms of water being combined with the carbon. 



* Some have termed the compound of 1 carbon 4- 1 hydrogen, hydro-carbon. 

 The frequent occurrence of this compound and its multiples, renders it necessary 

 that a convenient name should be employed. Perhaj^s that adopted in the text 

 which is essentially the same as that used in the " Inorganic Chemistry " possesses 

 this requisite. 



