173 
scribed, it becomes necessary to look upon the so-called 
compound radicals in a new manner. 
Assuming as proved, that Nu3. Ho replaces Ko,'and NH3 ucl 
replaces kc/, hence, Nn, replaces K.; but nny is NHo+H+H. 
That is, a sub-amiduret of hydrogen, compounding to certain 
suboxides and sub-chlorides. It may be isolated, but all that 
the author asserts is, that Nu3-++uC/ acts as K.cl. He considers 
it impossible to avoid giving to NH3 + cw cl and NH; + zn cl 
the same rank, and hence the transition to ng NH, + Hg C/, 
and similar combinations. He conceives that we cannot, in 
the present state of our knowledge, assign to the bodies 
NH, Cu, oF Hg NH. Hg the title of compound radicals, or give 
to them specific names, and, therefore, whilst he retains the 
word ammonium as convenient, and looks to the isolation of 
it, and to its resembling a sub-oxide, and not a metal, he 
considers the oxide of ammonium as more properly an oxam- 
ide of hydrogen, and sal ammoniac as a chloramide of hydro- 
gen, as the white precipitate is chloramide of mercury, and 
so with various other bodies. 
In the development of the theory of compound radicals, 
which arose from the author’s investigations, two conse- 
quences were obtained, viz., that the amide replacing oxide 
of hydrogen, the bodies Ho.so; + HO, or CuO, SO; +4 HO, 
assimilate themselves to HO.SO; 4+ NH3, OF Cw0.S03 + NH3, 
and thence the water designated saline in Graham’s me- 
moir, forms, with the metallic oxide, a compound base, to 
which the theory must eventually be applied ; and, secondly, 
the further extension of the investigation shews the difficulty 
of drawing a line between these and the proper basic salts, 
of which a great number has been examined by Dr. Kane, 
for the purpose of obtaining evidence on these points, and 
the result has been, that such basic salts are constituted on 
the same type as the neutral salts of the same family, the 
water being replaced by oxide of a metal, and in many cases 
the metallic oxide becomes likewise hydrated by combined 
