Royal Institution. 311 



trate of ammonia into nitrous oxide and water, (« + 5o+ w+;U) = 

 2 (n + o)-\-3q: and that of cyanic acid and water into bicarbonate of 



ammonia, n + 2 c -)- o + 3 9 = (n + 3 ft) + 2 (c + 2 o). 



More complex cases, some selected from mineral combinations, 

 were then mentioned as susceptible of similar notation. The com- 

 pounds of hydrogen and carbon (hydrocarburets) were also selected, 

 as, from the peculiarity of their atomic constitution, peculiarly suscep- 

 tible of such illustration. We subjoin the compounds that Mr. Brande 

 selected j but our limits prevent the insertion of the entire table which 

 is necessary to the full explanation of their composition : — 



Olefiant gas 2 c + 2 h 



Fire damp c -f 2 h 



Bicarburetted hydrogen 6 c + 3 h 



Quadricarburetted hydrogen 4 c -\- 4 h 



Naphtha ' 6 c + 6 h 



Naphthaline 20 c + 8 h 



In conclusion, Mr. Brande adverted to certain symbolic abridge- 

 ments, convenient where it was unnecessary to specify the whole of 

 the elements : thus nitrous and nitric acids might be represented by 

 n\ 11' j the former characterized by a grave, the latter by an acute 

 accent, as suggested also by Mr. Whewell ; and the hyponitrous acid 

 by rC — a short horizontal stroke being in the last case added beneath 

 the letter. 



In further illustration of this subject, the following were suggested 

 as the symbols of sulphur and its acids. 



Sulphur s 



Hyposulphurous acid 2 s + 2 o, or i 



Sulphurous acid s + 2 0, or 



Hyposulphuric acid 2 s + 5 o, or 



Sulphuric acid s -f 3 0, or s 



Liquid sulphuric acid s + 3 0, + q, or s + q 



The alkaline bases and other metallic oxides might be designated 

 either in detail, or simply by their initial capital letters, always using 

 the Latin names of the metals. Thus — 



One or more secondary letters must be employed, as the above 

 cases show, where requisite for distinction j but as Mr. Brande stated 

 that he was about to publish a table of equivalents, with the whole of 

 their corresponding symbols, for the use of the chemical students in 

 the Royal Institution, we shall refer to that for details. 



