Piatina and Alercury upon each other. 33 



thai it very rarelv happened that the mixture of two metals 

 here anv determinate relation to tlie same metals when se- 

 parate ; that in every case the smallest variation in the pro- 

 portions produced the most marked effects ; and that 

 iM. Ritter has lurnished us with an instrument calculated 

 to detect the presence of such small quantities as have hi- 

 therto been considered as out of the reach of chemistry. 

 As palladium presents a very striking instaact' of the ano- 

 maly, in which all compounds seem to be more or less sub- 

 ject, by being removed altogether from the series of simple 

 metals, tiiis mav serve to support the other proofs of its 

 compound nature. 



One of the principal objections of those who dispute the 

 truth of my conductions with respect to palladium, is 

 grounded upon the repeated failure of all the methods 1 

 had made use of in forming it ; but this cannot be of very 

 great weight, when we consider the uncertainty of many 

 other operations of chemistry. The most simple are some- 

 times liable to fail ; and the easiest analyses have often given 

 different products in the hands of ditic.n-ent chemists,, who 

 yet enjoy indisputable and equal rights to the title of accu- 

 racy. The progress which we have made in some parts of 

 the science has not removed the obstacles which impede 

 our advancement in others. We have no metliod of pro- 

 ving the truih of an experiment except by repeating it; yet 

 this often tends lo show nothing more than contradictory 

 results, and consequently the fallibiliiy of the art. 



But a recent case has occurred which is perfectly analo- 

 gous to that of palladium. A few years aa;o, professor 

 Lampadius, in distilling some substances which contained 

 sulj)hur and charcoal, obtained a liquid product of a pecu- 

 liar nature. He repeated his experiments, but in vain; and, 

 after many fruitless attempts, abandoned his researches, and 

 confined him.'ielf to statuig the fact to the chen)ieal world. 

 Little notice was taken of it, and not much interest was 

 excited by an experiment so likely to fail. Some time after 

 this, Messrs. Clement and Desormea obtained the same re- 

 sult, and attempted to produce the substance a second time. 

 They performed a vast number of experiments; but their 

 success bore no proportion to their diligence and zeal. 

 They published an account of their process and its con:-e-» 

 quences, hut gained little credit, as no person was fortu- 

 nate enough to produce the san)e substances Many disbe- 

 lieved the experiments altogether, and denied the existence 

 \)i such a conjhination ; v.hilst others, le5i inclined to 

 doubt, attributed its formation to fortLUtous circuui'Jtances 



\'ol. t?'J. No. 'i'j. Jiinr IbO). C which 



