82 Dr. Hare on the Salt Radical. Theory. 
Art. VIL—An attempt to refute the Reasoning of Lavsie in favor 
of the Salt Radical Theory ; by Roserr Hare, M. D., Prof. of 
Chem. in Univ. of Pennsylvania. (In a letter to the Editors.) 
1. Gentlemen—My attention was lately drawn to“ two lec- 
tures delivered about eighteen months ago, by Lresie, in support 
of the salt radical theory. You are well acquainted with the ef- 
forts made by me to refute that hypothesis, in an essay published 
under your auspices.* Your opinions, as well as those of several 
of the more distinguished of our American chemists whom I have 
consulted, have been emphatically expressed in favor of the va- 
lidity of my reasoning. Nevertheless from the lectures above 
mentioned, and froma text book lately published by Grecory, 
the successor of Horr, it-appears that, by these eminent profes- 
sors, innovations are to be supported which have, on this side the 
water, been deemed indefensible. Under these circumstances, I 
again raise my voice against this new doctrine, hoping that al- 
though an ocean rolls between those who may be led astray and 
the author of this communication, his warning may be neither 
unheard nor unheeded. 
2. Pursuant to the new doctrine, every oxacid is to be consider- 
ed as a hydruret of a compound radical, as those herétefore called 
hydracids are hydrurets of simple radicals, so that both of these 
classes are to bear the name of hydracids.’ ~~ 
3. Agreeably to the nomenclature proposed by Danticua the hy- 
drated sulphuric, nitric and phosphoric acids consist of hydrogen 
in union severally with oxysulphion, oxynitrion and oxyphosphi- 
on, their formule’ being respectively SO*H, NO*H, PO*H. 
4. According to a definition given by Lresie, at the close of his 
second lecture, “acids are compounds of hydrogen with simvple 
or compound radicals, in’ which the hydrogen may be —— 
by tts equivalent amount of metal.” 
5. Inferring that in those oxacids which unite with water as a 
base, the oxygen of the water goes to form a compound radical, 
the constitution of these acids is considered as quite analogous to 
that of the compounds formed with hydrogen by halogen bodies,t 
* See this Journal, for Jan. 1843. 
+ Chlorine, bromine, iodine, fluorine and cyanogen, are by Berzetivus distin- 
ied by the generic name halogen, from Greek words which convey the idea 
