HEINRICH ROSE ON vKTHERIFICATION. 371 



cially Graham, Berzelius and Liebig, have drawn from this 

 view. 



In fact it is particularly the salts of such metallic oxides as 

 are not possessed of strong basic properties that are decomposed 

 by water. The salts of the powerful bases do not exhibit this 

 phasnomenon. 



According to this view the decompositions in question are 

 analogous to the conversion of the red oxide of lead into the 

 brown superoxide and protoxide of lead, by nitric acid, only 

 that they are of exactly the converse kind, the strong acid ex- 

 pelling from a combination of the oxide of lead, Avith oxygen, 

 the weaker electro-negative body, and combining with the 

 basic. 



Water also occurs in other cases as a base, and sometimes 

 displaces other bases from their combinations. As it, how- 

 ever, belongs to the weaker bases, and, at the same time, is 

 volatile, these cases are not very frequent; but although vola- 

 tile, it is nevertheless able to expel the more volatile oxide of 

 ammonium from its combinations. If a solution of the sulphate 

 of the oxide of ammonium be boiled for a long time, it becomes 

 acid ; and if the boiling is effected in a retort, a liquid passes 

 over into the recipient, which contains free ammonia. This 

 result evidently arises from the water, as base, eliminating 

 the oxide of ammonium (which cannot exist in a free state, and 

 passes into water and ammonia) from its combination with 

 the sulphuric acid, and combining with the same. The quan- 

 tity of the sulphate of the oxide of ammonium decomposed in 

 this way, is indeed but small ; but it must also be remembered 

 that the oxide of ammonium is one of the most powerful bases, 

 and this result is chiefly to be ascribed to its greater volatility. 



If we apply the above explanation of the decomposition of 

 many salts by water to the theory of the formation of aether, it 

 will acquire great simplicity. 



Berzelius and Liebig have advanced the view that aether may 

 be regarded as a base ; which has found such general assent, 

 that it is almost universally adopted, at least in Germany. 



It is well known that the salts of the oxide of fethyl (the com- 

 pound aethers) may be more or less easily decomposed by bases, 

 water being present ; the bases combine with the acid of the 

 compound, and separate the oxide of iethyl as a hydrate (alcohol). 



But \vater itself, which in this case acts evidently the part of 



