1818.] the Atoms of Chemical Bodies. 439 



„ . . Weight of 



Number of atoms. „ ?»:„i„ 



a particle. 



1 69 Muriatic acid 



170 Chloric acid 



171 Protoxide of chlorine 



172 Deutoxide of chlorine 



173 Hydriodic acid , 



174 Iodic acid 



175 Chloriodic acid 



176 Hydrocyanic acid 



177 Alcohol 2 defiant gas +~ 1 water 2-875 



178 Sulphuric ether. 4 defiant gas + 1 water? 4*625? 



h + 1 ch 4-625 



ch + bo 9-500 



ch+ 1 o 5-500 



ch + 2 o 6-500 



h + 1 i 15-750 



i + 5 o 20-625 



i + 2 ch? 24-625? 



cij+ 1 h 3-375 



bonic acid. It is even possible that 12 of these compound atoms 

 may unite with one atom of hydrogen, which would constitute 

 the oxalic acid of Berzelius. On that supposition the symbol 

 for oxalic acid would be 12 ((1 c + 1 o) + (1 c + 2 o)) + 1 h. 

 To give another illustration, we may suppose tartaric acid to be 

 a compound of 1 atom carburetted hydron + 1 atom water + 

 1 atom carbonic acid + 2 atoms carbonic oxide ; for these 

 binary compounds would exhaust the atoms of which tartaric 

 acid is composed. 



1 atom carburetted hydrogen ...2A+lc + 0o 



1 atom water 1 h + c + 1 o 



1 atom carbonic acid A +»1 c + 2 o 



2 atoms carbonic oxide Oh + 2 c + 2 o 



3 +4 +5 



Or we may suppose it formed by the union of 



2 atoms olefiant gas . , 2 h + 2 c 



2 atoms carbonic acid + 2 c + 4 o 



1 atom water 1 +0 + 1 o 



3 +4+5 



And various other suppositions may be formed. Now as 

 hitherto no method has been devised to determine- the nature 

 and number of primary compounds of which vegetable bodies 

 are formed, it is obvious that the mere knowledge of their ele- 

 ments can lead to no very satisfactory conclusions respecting 

 their nature. It is even possible for two vegetable substances to 

 be composed of the very same number of atoms of hydrogen, 

 carbon, and oxygen, and yet to possess quite different proper- 

 ties ; because the primary compounds formed by these atoms 

 are different in each. The analysis, however, of vegetable acids 

 is of considerable importance ; because it gives us their weight, 

 and of course the proportion in which they unite with the bases. 



