172 
forms white precipitate, and calomel, united with the cor- 
responding amiduret of mercury, forms the black powder de- 
scribed by Dr. Kane ina former paper. A great series of salts 
can likewise be obtained, which contain oxides of copper, of 
nickel, or of zinc, replacing the oxide of hydrogen in the 
ordinary ammoniacal salts; and so, in like manner, the amide 
of hydrogen, being capable of replacing, and of being replaced 
by, oxide of hydrogen in all its functions, there originates 
the class of basic salts, in which oxide of hydrogen is 
replaced by ammonia, or in which the hyperbasic equi- 
valents of oxide are replaced by amides, or partly by amides 
and partly by oxides of the same metal, or of hydrogen. 
To this class is referred, in great part, by Dr. Kane, the 
compounds formed by the absorption of ammoniacal gas, by 
chlorides of various bodies; thus, chloride of phosphorus 
and amide of hydrogen, chloride of tin and amide of hy- 
drogen. In these bodies, the author stated, that one portion 
of the ammonia was generally retained more powerfully than 
the other, and this fact he considers to result from a dissimi- 
larity of function in the various parts, similar to that which 
Graham had already pointed out in water. Thus there is 
1 — cucl + nH; +2 NH; 
2— cucl + NH; + NH3. HO 
3— cucl +NH;+ 2HO 
4—cucl + Ho +2HO 
where the progress of the replacement is evident. 
The compound nx;. Ho. replacing potash, the author con- 
ceives that substituting for it metals of the same family, the 
bodies NH3. cwo and zno. NH;, should be capable of the same 
function ; and he adopts the view suggested by Graham, that 
certain compounds of this kind may correspond to the or- 
dinary double salts. Thus 
CUO. S03 ++ NH3. CuO. SO; ++ 4 NH. H 
corresponds to CuO. 803 -+- NH3 HO. S03 + 40.H 
and following out this view, along with those already de- 
