Mr. R. Warrington on Chemical Symbols. ISl 



ing in amethyst and emerald; and 1 have also less confidence 

 in the measurements for these two substances than for the 

 others. The mica, selenite, Iceland spar, and rock crystal, 

 were covered with a varnish of black sealing-wax on their se- 

 cond surfaces, to prevent reflection. Where it is said that 

 the incidence on rock crystal was perpendicular, it must be 

 understood that it was only so nearly so, that the natural un- 

 evenness of the facet made it impossible to determine it. 



The reflection by selenite is so exceedingly nearly the same 

 as that of crown-glass, that I found it impossible to state with 

 certainty whether it was higher or lower : in one observation, 

 however, I made it higher. 



With the other substances, and particularly with mica and 

 Iceland spar, the difference is quite obvious at the first view. 



XXXIX. On the Establishment of some perfect System of 

 Chemical Symbols; with Remarks on Professor Whewell's 

 Paper 07i that Subject. By Mr. R. Warrington*. 

 T N entering upon the consideration of the necessity of 

 ^ chemical symbols, — a necessity which becomes the more 

 urgent from the rapid progress the science is continually 

 making, and from the increasing number of new combina- 

 tions which are daily brought before our notice, and the 

 want of some system of symbols to facilitate our reasoning 

 upon these and other combinations, — there are two great 

 points to be kept in view ; namely, brevity and clearness in the 

 nature of the symbols themselves, and as perfect an approxi- 

 mation to mathematical consistency and algebraic formulae as 

 the nature of the subject will admit. 



Professor Whewell, in a paper upon this subject published 

 in the 1st volume of the Journal of the Royal Institution for 

 May 1831, advocates the necessity of radically altering the 

 symbolic system of Berzelius, on account of its total want of 

 mathematical propriety, and fully demonstrates the advantages 

 to be derived from the adoption of an arrang'ement founded 

 on algebraic principles h. 



The improprieties more particularly pointed out in Berze- 

 lius's system of notation are ; first, the method adopted by him 

 of connecting the elementary symbols together in repz'esenting 

 compound bodies, as though, according to the notation made 

 use of in algebraic reasoning, the constituents were multi- 

 plied by each other; whereas the combination is effected by 



• Communicated by the Author, 



•| In the Phil. Mag. and Annals, N.S., vol. x. p. 104, appeared a paper 

 on Chemical Symbols and Notation by Mr. Fridcaux, in reply to Professor 

 Whewell, a brief rejoinder from whom will be found in the same volume. 

 p. 405, note. — Eurr. 



