6S Correspondence lO'ith M. Van Moni. 



metals compose the primitive matter of the globe, with more or 

 less hvdrogon, and still without the least portion of caloric. The 

 acidifiahle comlmstibles are drv acids and hydrogen; the salifiable 

 combustibles, or metallo-flnores, are an acid and the metals; the 

 ticidifiable burners [comvnraiis) are dry acids and oxygen ; the 

 common acids are drv acids and water : and the dry acids them- 

 selves are peculiar comljustibdos in wluch the hydrogen is satu- 

 rated by at least double the ([uantity of oxygen tliat it is in 

 water ; which may com!)inc with all the other bodies, but which . 

 cannot be put out of comljinution. All the other bodies are com- 

 pounded of the latter. Water is decomposable by luminous ca- 

 loric only ; and when it oxidates bcnlies, it paits itself in the place 

 of the et|ui\alent of its contents in liydrogen, in the same way 

 as, when hydrogen reduces bodies, it puts itself in the place of 

 the water. I embrace the whole domain of chemistry in this 

 manner : Will you have the goodness to submit my ideas to the 

 j)enetration of men of science in vr.ur countrv ? 



" M. Dobereiner, of Jena, not having found anv soda which 

 contained iodine, sought for this substance in sea water ; where 

 he found it. The 'ivtucliu' pouxlcr in iodate hvperoxygenated by 

 ummonia, as dutowiling oil is muriate hvperoxvgenated with the 

 same alkali. The iodate of ammonia niav be formed by simple 

 osvgenation, whereas the muriate of ammonia requires to be 

 hvperoxygcnatcd. 



" You will be soon made acquainted with an experiment in 

 which muriate of ammonia, o!)taiued by the Ci)ml)ination of its 

 gaseous elements, deposited all the v.ater from its acid, taking up 

 in its stead muriate of mercury and oxyduL'. This fact is deci- 

 sive for the existence of oxygen in chlorine, and triuuiphant for 

 j\lr. Murray. 



" You will also find that tlic Piussic acid gas, and water and 

 alcohol impregnated \\ith this gas, kill in the most insignificant 

 doses, and in three minutes, without convulsions, and as if a pro- 

 found sleep had come on. 



" 1 have ascertained tiiat the essential oils which are distilled 

 with alcohol or ether, cannot be again completely separated from 

 those liquids, but retain at least the third of their weight ; whe- 

 ther we attempt their precipitation by wati?!-, or try to make them 

 lloat to the surface in the cold way. 



" We have at Bruxelles a })ile of Zamboni, which I have de- 

 scrilied in my French translation of Davv's Chemistry. It con- 

 .sists of disks of the diameter of a guinea, v.hich are inclosed 

 with pressure in two glass tubes of the form of columns. The 

 substance of the disk-^ is gilt paper sprinkled with native oxide 

 of manganese, a vertical needle lialf a foot long, which is sus- 

 pended about the sixth of its length towards the bottom, and 



oscillates 



