ON MR. DALTON*S PRINCIPLE OF COMBINATION. 289 



I will now apply the same mode of examination to the Compoundsof 

 compounds of oxioeti and carbon, carbonic acid and car- j^la^^^ ^^' 

 bonic oxide. Accordinj^ to the hypothesis, one of these 

 must be binary; let us suppose that it is the carbonic 

 arid which is in this state, or that 100 atoms of carbonic 

 acid consist of 100 atoms of oxij^en and 100 atoms of 

 carbon. But the carbon in carbonic acid is to the oxi- 

 gen as 28 to 72, or nearly as 100 to 257, therefore the 

 atom of carbon will be to the atom of oxigen as 1 to 2*57- 

 In the oxide of carbon the quantity of oxigen being dimi- 

 nished, we must take some multiple of 100, to express the 

 ratios of the increased quantity of carbon. If we suppose 

 that two atoms of carbon unite to one of oxigen, it will make 

 the proportion 2 to 2'57. This will give the constituents 

 of carbonic oxide to be 100 parts of carbon to 128*5 of oxi- 

 gen, whereas, from the analysis of this substance we learn, 

 that 100 parts of carbon require 146 parts of oxigen to con- 

 vert them into carbonic oxide*. I have here assumed, 

 that carbonic acid is the binary compound, but I will novr 

 reverse the supposition, and make the oxide of carbon to 

 consist of 100 atoms of oxigen and 100 atoms of carbon. 

 According to this principle the weight of the atom of carbon 

 will be to the atom of oxigen as 1 to 1*4G, and proceeding 

 as above for the constituents of carbonic acid we shall 

 have 100 atoms of the acid to consist of 100 atoms of car- 

 bon and 200 of oxigen, making a ratio nearly of 1 to 2*9, 

 which give the constituents of carbonic acid to be 100 parts 

 of carbon to 290 parts of oxigen, whereas we find by ana- 

 lysis, that 100 parts of carbon require only 257 parts of oxi- 

 gen to be converted into carbonic acidf . 



I will now examine in the same manner the compounds of Compounds* of 

 oxitcen and azote. I will, in the first place, assume that ^'^'^^"^'^ '"" 

 nitric acid is the binary compound, and as 100 parts of azote 

 require 236 parts of oxigen to be converted into nitric acidt, 

 it follows that the atom of azote is to that of oxigen as 1 to 

 2*36. Nitric oxide receiving an addition of azote, the pro- 

 portion will be as 2 to 2*36, which will make the constitu- 

 tion of the oxide to be as 100 to 118, whereas it is stated to 



• Thomson, II, 150. f Thomson, II, i49. % Thomson^, II, 163. 



Vol. XXVIIL— April, 1811. U be 



