128 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 54 



A different method of dealing with organic silver salts was adopted 

 by Maumene/ in 184G, for the purpose of establishing by reference to 

 carbon the atomic weight of silver. He effected the combustion of 

 the acetate and the oxalate of silver, and, by weighing both the residual 

 metal and the carbon dioxide formed, he fixed the ratio between these 

 two substances. In the case of the acetate his weighings show that for 

 every gramme of metallic silver the weights of CO, were produced which 

 are shown in the third column : 



8.083 grm. Ag. = G.585 grm. CO.. .8147 



11.215 " 9.135 " .8136 



14.351 " 11.G935 " .8148 



9.030 " 7.358 " .8148 



20.227 ■' 16.475 " .8145 



Mean, .81448 



The oxalate of silver, ig'nited by itself, decomposes too violently to 

 give good results; and for this reason it was not used by Eedtenbacher 

 and Liebig. Maumene, however, found that when the salt was mixed 

 with sand the combustion could be tranquilly effected. The oxalate 

 employed, however, with the exception of the sample represented in the 

 last experiment of the series, contained traces of nitrate, so that these 

 results involve slight errors. For each gramme of silver the appended 

 weights of CO, were obtained: 



grm. CO2. .4081 



.4059 

 .4072 

 .4073 

 .4073 

 .4073 



Mean, .40718 



Now, one of these salts being formed by a dibasic and the other by a 

 monobasic acid, it is well to reduce both to a common standard. Doing 

 this, we have for the ratio between carbon dioxide and 100 parts of 

 silver the following combination : 



From the acetate 40.724, ± .0076 



From the oxalate 40.718, ± .0185 



General mean 40.723, ± .0071 



That is, Ag : COo : : 100 : 40.723, ± .0071. 



1 Ann. Chim. Phys. (3j, 18, 41. 1S46. 



