On definite Proportions. 97 
of lime, contains 15-89 parts of oxygen, and the quantity of the 
lime contained in 100 parts of this salt contains 15°71 of oxy- 
gen. Consequently this analysis appears to confirm the former, 
although"they do not agree in the last figures; but they show at 
least that the quantity of oxygen required in a base, by 100 parts 
of acetic acid, cannot be materially different from these numbers. 
+ Muriate of ammonia. It appears from my analysis of this 
salt already related, that it consists of 
Muriatic acid...... 50°86 
Ammonia..... fee Cel) 
WHEEL Ce aera kt Li Lo 
[Since lime detaches 31-95 per cent. of ammoniacal gas from 
it, and nitrate of silver indicates 50°86 per cent. of muriatic acid 5 
the rest being water. G.| | But in 31-95 parts of ammonia there 
are 14-98 of oxygen, aud in 17°19 of water there are 15-17 of oxy- 
gen. Consequently the water of crystallization of this salt must 
contain as much oxygen as the base. If the composition of water 
were ascertained with so much certainty, that we could depend on 
the last decimals of the determination, the result would indicate a 
small error in the analysis of the muriate of ammonia, and it would 
appear that I had found +12, too little ammonia in it. But it is 
scarcely worth while to attempt to make this correction ; and in 
other determinations, for instance, those of the muriatic acid, 
we cannot depend on the decimals. If however none of the 
analyses, which I have published in this Essay, are perfectly cor- 
rect, except by accident, still they appear to me to come near 
enough to the truth to allow us to employ them with safety in 
the investigation of the laws of the proportions of mixtures. It 
will only be possible to undertake the difficult task of discovering 
perfectly correct numerical expressions for these proportions, with 
better prospects of success, when these laws have been pre- 
viously so well established, as to allow us to employ them with 
confidence in our analyses. [In this pursuit we may derive suf- 
ficient encouragement from the example of astronomers, who 
Would never have been led by observation alone to the wonderful 
precision which the theory of the science has attained; and Mr. 
Berzelius, if I am not mistaken, will enjoy the lasting honour of 
having been the first [?] that has observed the possibility of fol- 
lowing a similar path in chemical science, and not only of having 
pointed out this path, but of having already conducted us a con- 
siderable way on in it, by the masterly analyses which he has 
performed in this investigation. G.] 
Of the nitrate of ammonia I have spoken in the Second Con- 
tinuation of this Essay, which related to the capacity of satura- 
tion and the true composition of the nitric acid; and I have there 
shown that, like the muriate, it contains a quantity of water 
Vol. 43, No. 190, Fel, 1814, G of 
