Acids, Alkalis, and their Compounds. 189 



100 of hvdiate of barytes, as it is named, affoidiiig, according 

 to the estimate of Berthollet, 9 of water, according to that of 

 Berzelius about 10"5. 



The neutralization of acids and of oxides, by their mutual ac- 

 tion, I have already stated, is probably not merely the result of 

 combination, but of subversion of composition. The radical of 

 the acid, and the radical of the base, are in combination with the 

 oxygen which remains after the abstraction of any portion of this 

 element by the formation of water. And the proportions esta- 

 blished will be found directly conformable to the relations of these 

 elements. It has been already shown, (page 186,) that the re- 

 lation of the oxygen in the ternary combination is that which it 

 separately observes to the radical of the acid, and the relation of 

 the radical of the alkaline base is that which it al^^o separately 

 observes to the radical of the acid. And the three elements exist 

 in simultaneous combination. So far the constitution is ana- 

 logous to the composition of the ternary acids and bases, with 

 this difference, that in these the oxygen and hydrogen are in their 

 respective proportions to the radical of the acid or base, and in the 

 salts the oxygen and the radical of the base are in their due pro- 

 portions to the radical of the acid. In the conversion of the one 

 into the other, there is merely the substitution of the radical of 

 the base for the hydrogen of the acid, and the abstraction of that 

 j)ortion of oxygen with v/Iiich the former was combined, and the 

 formation of a portion of water equivalent to this. In the for- 

 mation of a neutral salt from the union of a binary acid, there is 

 simply the production of a ternary combination, in which the pro- 

 portion of oxygen to the radical of the acid is increased by that 

 of the base. And the difference in the salts formed by the binary 

 and ternary acids of the same radical, is in the c^uantity of oxy- 

 gen being a higher multiple in those of the latter than in those 

 of the former ; so that the addition or abstraction of that portion 

 of oxygen converts the one into the other. 



There is every reason to infer, that in the ternary acids, and 

 the ternary alkaline bases, while the due relation of oxygen to the 

 radical and of hydrogen to the radical exists, there will be a si- 

 milar relation in the hydrogen and oxygen to each other. These 

 two elements comldne only in the proportion of 1 to I'^t. But 

 there maybe other proportions nuiltiples or subuuiltiples of these, 

 in which they exert nuitual actions, though they do not in con- 

 formity to them form binary combinations, and they may exist 

 under the inlluence of such actions in ternary combinations. lu 

 hycho-sulphuri;; acid the quantity of oxygen in relation to the 

 hydrogen present is four times the quantity of oxygen which con- 

 stitutes the composition of water. And this may be a relation 

 actually existing, independent of the others j that i.-;, while the 



oxygen 



