M. Fan Mom. 149 



l^ody naturally less burninj^- {comlnirant) than oxygen, which is 

 the element of all comburatioTi, but more burning [comiuraiit) 

 than water, since it burns reduced inetais, and since water serves 

 it for an oxide, in the ordinary acids, wiiich on that account I 

 have named fluate, muriate, sulphate, &;c. of liydrose, not to say 

 of water. 



I have made several a'lditional experiments of late, which have 

 confirmed my opinion, that the ashes of the metals are acids or 

 oxidules more or less combined with reduced metal, which makes 

 it necessary for the acids to be heated, in order to dissolve them, 

 or in order that tlie oxid:>.te(l part may be separated from the 

 reduced part, and that tb.ev should share it in those two parts in 

 the solution, which without caloric could not take place if the 

 oxide be not already in existence. Tiie coml)inations between 

 the oxidules and the oxides, and between the latter and the hy- 

 peroxides, form the degrees called intermediate of oxidation, and 

 wliich intermediate degrees some authors have not yet ceased 

 to admit. I call hv|)er-oxide every oxide which ought to de- 

 posit oxygen, in order to be capable of being dissolved in the 

 acids, and which conseqiiently gives chlorine with muriatic acid. 

 Several of the organic substances are combinations between 

 oxides and oxidules; and as the affinity is weak, both the one 

 and the other is easily engaged in excess ; and when we analy.-e 

 these substamces, we frequently do nothing more than com!)ine 

 them with the reagents; and then, instead of ediuh, we have 

 projiicls which we mistake for new principles. The fine ana- 

 lysis of the oxalates bv fire has proved, what 1 always said, that 

 the vegotai)le acids have for their common fixed base carbonnus 

 acid, and for a varying principle water. This analysis has yielded 

 out of the oxalates with weak metals, carbonic acid and mclal 

 reduced after having allowed the escape of water. There are 

 carbonites therefore. The same salts with stronger oxides have 

 yielded water, and the carbonites remaining have been resolved 

 into gaNCous oxide of carbon; and the oxalates with very strong 

 metals are di.'c.')mpo>ed, after the maimer of the aciiK alone, 

 into water, acetous acid, carbonic aci<l, oil, carbonated iiydrogen 

 gas, with hydrogen an<l carbon as the residue. 



Not only is the residue oi' the sulphuric ether an acidinulated 

 sulphate of ether, but also, what is singular for an acid which 

 changes its own water with tis;? oxides, and forms dry salts, that 

 of the ether by the fluoric acid is an acidinulated tluate of ether, 

 which in these salts exists in the state of gas, an<l the excess of 

 acid is therein hvdrated. From the new alcohol, neutral com- 

 pound-, are made, which the fire once more resolves into insulated 

 ethers, and into acidinulated salts. These salts are not decom- 

 K 3 posed 



