RECENT PROGRESS IN PHYSICS, 375 



hydrogen ; wliile the Na 0, i~iroduced by secondary action, remains in. 

 the solution. 



The electrolysis of sulphate of copper proceeds in the same manner; 

 with this difference only, that the copper, reduced at the negative 

 pole, is not immediately oxydized again, and therefore evolves no 

 hydrogen, hut is deposited at the negative pole in the metallic con- 

 dition, 



Daniell also proposes a new nomenclature corresponding to this 

 theoretical view of the constitution of the inorganic salts. He desig- 

 nates, for instance, the combination SO^ as oxysuJpMon, NO5 as 

 oxynitrion, &c. 



According to this view, sulphate of copper is equal to oxysulphion 

 of copper ; nitrate of potassa is equal to oxynitrion of potassium, &c. 



The experiments with a saturated solution of sal ammoniac perfectly 

 agree with the supposition that sal ammoniac is chloride of ammo- 

 nium, viz: that it is composed of the simple anion, (the negative con- 

 stituent,) CI., (chlorine,) and the compound kathion, (the positive 

 constituent,) NH^, (ammonium.) The positive pole, made of tin, 

 •was dissolved ; while at the negative hydrogen and ammonia were 

 liberated, proceeding from the decomposition of NH^ into ISTHg and 

 H. Sulphate of ammonia is, accordingly, oxysulphion of ammonium, 

 SO,. NH,._ 



These views also lead to the generalization of the theory of hydrogen 

 acids, which has been repeatedly discussed by chemists, according to 

 which the oxygen acids, containing water, are like the hydrogen acids, 

 binary compounds of hydrogen, with a radical ; thus, sulphuric acid 

 would be SO4. H. 



Between hydrate of sulphuric acid SO,. H and sulphate of soda 

 S04.Na, therefore, the same relation would exist as between muriatic 

 acid Cl.H and table salt Cl.Na ; the H being only replaced by Na. 



But the above mentioned experiments on the electrolysis of dilute 

 sulphuric acid do not fully agree with this view. 



If the hydrate of sulphuric acid really is oxysulphion of hydrogen, 

 then it must by electrolysis be decomposed into H and SO, ; but the 

 oxysulphion, liberated at the positive pole, is immediately decomposed 

 into SO3 and 0, the latter escaping as gas, while SO3 remains in the 

 fluid ; therefore for each equivalent of hydrogen liberated at the nega- 

 tive electrode, and for each equivalent of oxygen at the positive, an 

 equivalent of sulphuric acid SO., ought to appear at the positive pole ; 

 but, according to the above quoted experiments, after electrolysis only 

 :^- equivalent SO3 more is to be found in the positive cell than had 

 been there before. 



The experiment was modified in various ways, but always with the 

 same result. Phosphoric acid behaved in like manner. 



By electrolysis the quantity of phosphoric acid in the positive cell 

 was only augmented by \ equivalent. A similar ex])eriment, made 

 with a solution of caustic potassa, showed that while 1 equivalent of 

 water was decomposed, somewhat less than y equivalent of potassa was 

 transferred to the negative pole. 



Baryta water gave results similar to those obtained with caustic 

 j)otassa. 



