382 Notices respecting New Books. 



fessor Berze]iiis*,\\liose experiments we shall now briefly notice. 

 He states that he was led to this train of inquirv from the two 

 following most important theorems laid down by the learned 

 Richter : 



" 1. When two bodies, A and B, have each an affinity for two 

 others, C and D, the C which saturates a given quantity of A 

 is to the D which saturates the same quantitv of A, in the same 

 proportion as the C saturating any given quantity of B is to 

 the D saturating the same quantity of B. Hence the saturathig 

 proportions of A C, A D, and B C being known, those of B D 

 maybe found by simple calculation. For example, let A, B, C, 

 and D be respectively sulphuric acid, muriatic acid, barytes, and 

 potash, and let 100 parts of sulphuric acid be saturated by 190 

 of barytes, and by 116 of potash, and let 100 of muriatic acid 

 be saturated by 281 of barytes, then the quantity of potash sa- 

 turating 100 of muriatic acid will be 173 ^ 



Bar. Pot. Bar. Pot. 



for 190 : 116 :: 281 : 173 nearly. 

 This law of chemical combination is indeed a direct inference 

 from the fact, that, when two neutral salts are mixed together, 

 and decompose each other, tlie mixture remains neutral. Thus, 

 supposing 381 parts of muriat of barytes be exactly decomposed 

 by 322 parts of sulphat of potash, and the mixture remain neu- 

 tral, the respective proportions of the new compounds formed 

 will be 273 of muriat of potash, and 430 of sulphat of barytes, 

 as by the following scheme : 



r 381 -^ 



100 ^v 281 



273 I ,, . ,. 4 ., ~ 430 



, , . J. j JNluriatic Acid, Barvtes. v c i u ^ r 



Potash. 



173 149 



322 



Barvtes. 



^ Potash. ^-- x^Sulphuric Acid. > 



" The respective proportions of potash and barytes that saturate 

 any acid are always as 173 : 281, and in the decomposition liere 

 assumed the muriatic acid that saturates these bases is 100 parts. 

 Therefore the sulphuric acid must be 149 parts, as calculated 

 both from the elements of sulphat of potash and suiphat of ba- 

 rvtes. In the former ca'^e 116 of potash saturate 100 parts of 

 sulphuric acid, and 116: 100 : : 173 : 149. In the latter case 

 190 of barvtes saturate 100 of sulphuric acid, and 190 : 100 : : 

 281:149.' 



" The importance of this law of chemical combination is so 

 great that the composition of all the binary compounds might be 



* An. Cliiin. torn. 77 to 83 inclusive. 



found 



