40-2 On some new Eleclrochemical Reseafches 



on a former occasion, suppose potassium and sodium to he 

 compounds of potash and soda with hvdrogen; a similar 

 opinion seems to be entertained by M. Ritter. M. Curau- 

 dau* aflccts to consider ihem as combinations of charcoal, 

 or of charcoal and hydrogen, with the alkalies; and an 

 Inquirerf in our own country regards them as composed 

 of oxi/gi'?i and Jiydrogen, 



I sliall examine such of those notions only as have been 

 connected with experiments, and f shall not occupy the 

 time of the society with 'any criticisms on matters of mere 

 speculation. 



In iiw two last communications, I have given an account 

 of various experiments on the action of potassium upon 

 ammonia, the process from which MM. Gay Lussac and 

 Thcnard derive their inferences. At the time that these 

 papers were written, I had seen no other account of the 

 experiments of the French chemists, than one given in a 

 number of the Moniteur ; and as this was merely a sketch, 

 which I conceived might be imperfect, I did not enter into 

 a minute examination of it. I have since seen a detail of 

 their inquiry in the second volume of the Mem. d'Arcueil, 

 a copy of which M. Berthollet has had the goodness to send 

 me, and the publication of which is dated June 7? 180^: 

 and from this detail, it seems that they still retain their 

 opinion; but upon precisely the same grounds as those to 

 which I have before referred. That no step of the discus- 

 sion mav be lost to the society, I shall venture to state 

 fully their meihod of operation, and of reasoning. 



They say, that they heated potassium J in ammonia, 

 and they found that a considerable quantity of ammonia 

 was absorbed; and hydiogen produced; and that the 

 -potassium became converted into an olive- coloured fusible 

 substance; by healing this substance strongly, they ob- 

 tained three-fifths of the ammonia again, two- fifths as 

 ammonia, one- fifth as hydrogen and nitrogen; by add- 

 ing a little water to the residuum, they procured the re- 

 iiiainhig two-fifths, and found in the vessel in which the 

 operation was carried on, nothing but potash. — Again, it is 

 stated, that by treating a new quantity of metal with the 

 ammonia disengaged from the fusible substance, they again 

 obtained hydrogen, and an absorption of the annnonia; 

 and by carrying on the operation, they affirm that they 



* Journal de Physique^ Tune 1808. 



+ Nicholson's Journal, Au£^st 1809, p, 258, 



\ Mf/n. (V^rcudl, torn. ii. page 309. 



can 



