to he produced b'j Hydrogcne. 485 



acid, the phlogifton difplaced will turn to inflammable air, while the acid and the zinc 

 form white vitriol. In this way fomc of the phlogillous or inflammable gas may be ac- 

 counted for, as extricated from the metallic preparation : and at the fame time I fee no 

 objeciion to deriving the reft of the great quantity aflbrded by this procefs, from the de- 

 compofition of part of the water or oxyd of phlogifton. To accommodate matters then, 

 the advocates of the Lavoifierian theory fliould concede that zinc, in common circum- 

 ftances, is affbciated with hydrogene or phlogifton. And the difciples of Stahl ftiould on 

 their fide allow that zinc cannot be confidered as a pure metal, while alloyed or blended 

 with phlogifton or any other foreign ingredient. The material they have all worked upon 

 is not the uncombined metal, but a phlogifture of zinc. 



4. Some forts of iron treated by heat alone afford phlogiftous or Inflammable air. The 

 fame metal may be made to bum with flame, and, when treated with fulphuric acid,' 

 affords much phlogiftous air. What then is the thing commonly called iron ? Is it a pure 

 and unmixed fubftance ? Or is it a compound of elementary iron with hydrogene or phlo- 

 gifton? The fa£ls enumerated lead concIuQvely to the latter opinion. The Phlogiftians 

 are right then, when they fay common iron is a compound : and they are right when they 

 fay tLe inflammable air obtained from it Is nearly pure phlogifton. And the Antiphlo- 

 giftians are juftifiable in placing in their enumeration of fimple bodies, fuch a thing as 

 elementary iron is or may be imagined to be ; and in afcrlbing the produftion of hydro- 

 genous or phlogiftic gas to a decompofition of part of the water. The compound called 

 iron then gives out fomething, and takes in fomething, in all the common proceffes. And 

 the modern chemifts fliould correft the miftake they appear generally to have fallen into, 

 of taking it for granted, that was a fimple fubftance which in fa£t is a chemical compofi- 

 tion of iron with hydrogene. And thus finery cinder, which evidently difliers from liasma- 

 tites or any pure o^tyd of iron, may be a triple compound of iron, hydrogene or phlo- 

 gifton, and oxygene; which juft about correfponds with your idea that it confifts of iron and 

 water. 



It will not follow from all this, that becaufc phlogifton or hydrogene fo generally exifts 

 in combination with zinc and iron, it muft be an ingredient in all metals. For gold, 

 arfenic, fiiver, platina, mercury, copper, tin, lead, blfmuth, cobalt, antimony, and manga- 

 nefe are capable of exifting without it, and accordingly do not commonly burn with flame, 

 nor afford inflammable air by folution in acids ; though if ever they exhibit in any of their 

 dates blaze by burning, or phlogiftous air with acids, this will only evince the exiftence of 

 hydrogene in them in fuch cafes. Both parties may thus allow that fomc metals contain 

 phlogifton, and fome do not. Nor will charcoal, as has fomctimes happened, be confounded 

 with phlogifton according to this view of the matter ; though hydrogene is often blended 

 with it. If Coal at any time affords inflammable air, this is no evidence of the converfion 

 of that fubftance into phlogiftous gas, but merely a proof that the coal when fubmitted to 

 experiment was combined with the bafis of inflammable air, which it could part with and 

 ftill remain coal, though in that cafe incapable of burning with flame; but, in a fulficient 

 expofure to heat and oxygenous air, taking on without blaze the form of carbonic acid gas. 

 It may be conceded then on both fides, that, though phlogifton or hydrogene may cxift w ith 

 coal, neverthelefs coal can exift without phlogifton. 



I know not in what manner thcfe confidcrations may imprcfs your mind. I have 

 3 flattered 



