14 Eaperhnen's and Olservaiions on a new Substance, &c. 



turmeric paper, and rendered green paper tinged with the juice 

 of violets : but I have since found that this is owing to a small 

 quantity of subcarbonate of potassa which existed in the hydrate 

 of pota'ssa ; and when the compound is treated with the acid 

 the substance forms with hydrogen, and heated to redness, it 

 loses this property; aud when thus formed, its taste more re- 

 sembles that of a neutral salt than of an alkali. I cannot yet 

 sav \vith certainty whether its compound with potassium has 

 powers, like the oxides, of neutralising those acids which it does 

 not decompose, as in all the experiments I have made on this 

 point I used the compound which reddens turmeric : this neu- 

 tralised the phosphorous, sulphurous, and boracie acids; but the 

 effect may possibly depend upon the undecomposed carbonate. 



The name iona has been proposed in France for this new sub- 

 stance from its colour in the gaseous state, from I'ov, viula ; and 

 its combination with hydrogen has been named hydroionic acid. 

 The name tone, in English, would lead to confusion, for its com- 

 pounds would be called ionic and Ionian. By terming it iodine, 

 from Jco^v^r, violaceous, this confusion will be avoided, and the 

 name will be more analogous to chlorine and fluorine. 



The acid it forms with hydrogen may, however, be with pro- 

 priety named in our language hydroionic acid. I venture to 

 propose for the acid it forms with chlorine, the name of cldo- 

 rionic acid, and for that it forms with tin stanniouic acid. With 

 respect to the other compound^, they may be called as a class 

 iodes, with the name of the base, as iode of mercury, and with 

 proto, deuto, &c. to signify the proportions ; or if a termination 

 to the base should be preferred, as I have proposed for the com- 

 binations of chlorine, the terminations may be in jn, with the 

 vowels in their usual order to signify proportions. Thus, phos- 

 phoroma would signify the combination of one proportion of 

 iodine with phosphorus, and phosphorome would signify two 

 proportions of iodine to one of phosphorus. 



If.this last plan, wliich involves no theoretical view^s, should 

 be adopted, it may be extended with different consonants to the 

 combinations oiJJuorine, and the vowel may be made to signify 

 the proj:)ortion, and the consonant the nature of the compoiuid. 

 The vow^el of termination, to the Latin name of the base, I have 

 already proposed, on another occasion, for the compounds of 

 oxygen. Thus, argenla may be made to signify the protoxide 

 of silver, awX ferre the deut-oxide of iron, n is the consonant 

 which I have suggested to represent the combination of chlo- 

 rine, as argenlaiia the protochloride of silver ; and / in this 

 system may represent fluorine. Thus calcula would be fluor 

 spar, or one proj}ortion of fluorine and one of calcium ; and the 

 different combinations of calcium with the supporters of com- 

 bustion 



