Philosophical Society of London. ?7S 



properties of oxygen, chlorine, and their curious combina- 

 tion euchlorine. Hydrogen next followed, its combination 

 with oxvgen — water, — and with chlorine, muriatic acid 

 gas. With respect to the nature of chlorine and muriatic 

 acid gas, Mr. M. entirely coincided with the views of Sir 

 H. Davy on this subject. Independent of the principal 

 classic property of chlorine, that of its being like oxygen 

 an indecomposable body ranging itself round the positive 

 pole in all Voltaic circuits, facts have arisen from discussions 

 in the scientific journals, which have satisfied most che- 

 mists as to the simplicity of its nature. What has tended 

 most to the confirmation of this opinion is the discovery 

 of phosgene gas, (a combination of chlorine and carbonic 

 oxide gases,) by Mr. John Davy. According to the 

 French system, the union of these two gases should have 

 produced carbonic acid and muriatic acid gases ; but what 

 ultimately decides the correctness of Sir Humphry Davy's 

 notion is the formation of this new gas, which possesses 

 characters so peculiar. Agreeing entirely with Sir H. 

 Davy in the nature of chlorine, he, h()wev<:r, differed with 

 him in the nomenclature proposed by him for the designa- 

 tion of its combinations. Sir H. D. proposes to distinguish 

 the salts formerly called muriates, which are according to 

 him combinations of chlorine with metals, by the termi- 

 nating syllables ane, anea, anie : independent of the pro- 

 bability of mistake in expressing the last syllables, there is 

 in ail cases an objection to making distinctions of species 

 in verbal terminations ; and as the combinations with 

 oxygen are called oxides, there is no sufficient reason why 

 those with chlorine should not be called chlorides ; and as 

 distinctions of the proportions of coml/mations, there may 

 be given — prochloridcs, deuchlorides, trichlorides, and an- 

 swcrino: to those proposed by Dr. Thomson, of protoxide, 

 deutoxTde, &c.* There mav, perhaps, at some early period, 

 he proposed a better method than either of these ; at pre- 

 sent both arc liable to objections. 



The second lecture commenced with a consideration of 

 nitrogen, when he successively went throuuh its combina- 

 tions with oxygen, nitrous oxide gas, nitrous gas, nitrous 

 acid gas, nitrous acid, nitric acid, and atmospheric air. 

 It has been a subject of much speculation with natural 

 philosophers, whether the two components, nitrogen and 

 oxygen, existed in a stale of chemical combination in al- 

 mospiieric air, or merely in a stale of mechanical mixture. 



* The only objection to this mode of dittinction i« the length of the 

 term. _ 



A a 4 Fiom 



