1819.] Sur P'Identité des Forces Chimiques et Electriques. 378 
temperature of the air, it is less combustible than gold or plati- 
num. It is well known that few acids have any action on 
carbon, and that this action is very feeble. We observe like- 
wise, that those bodies in which carbon predominates, constitute 
a negative element in the galvanic chains even when opposed to 
gold or silver. This proves, according to a general law, that 
carbon is less oxidable than gold or silver. Sulphur burns rea- 
dily at a high temperature ; but at the ordinary temperature of 
the air, it is less combustible than any of the metals; and even 
at a high temperature its affinity for oxygen is much weaker 
than that of carbon. Sulphur, then, may be assimilated to less 
oxidable bodies ; for the increase of its combustibility in high 
temperatures is singularly favoured by the diminution, of its 
cohesion from heat, and by the tendency of sulphurous acid to 
assume the gaseous form. The gaseous nature of the acids 
formed, and the attraction of sulphur for various metals, must 
contribute materially to the deoxidation of different metallic 
oxides by carbon and sulphur. The feeble combustibility of 
carbon and sulphur is indicated likewise by the little contraction 
which these two bodies sustain when united to oxygen. Sul- 
phur possesses also the remarkable property of disengaging heat 
and light when it combines with different metals ; showing that 
it possesses a good deal of the supporter in its nature. {It forms 
an acid likewise when it unites with hydrogen, which establishes 
a new analogy betweeri it and oxygen. Tellurium exhibits a 
similar property, and of course must be placed near sulphur in 
the series. 
I have entered into considerable details respecting the first of 
Professor CErsted’s series; that, namely, which consists of the 
undecompounded bodies. The character which distinguishes 
them is combustibility, or the property of supporting combustion. 
The combustible bodies unite with the supporters in general ; 
they unite with each other; and their union takes place with 
considerable energy. They constitute a series of affinities apart 
which ought to be examined separately. It will not be necessary 
to enter into so minute an account of the other two series into. 
which our author distributes the remainder of chemical bodies. 
It may be sufficient to observe, that he has adopted the two 
divisions of primary compounds and secondary compounds, which 
I have given in my System. The primary compounds constitute 
his second series, consisting of those bodies which he has called 
corps brulées. These primary compounds consist of two sets of 
. bodies ; namely, acids and bases, as 1 have particularly explained 
in the last edition of my System of Chemistry. For it is grati- 
fying to find, that without being aware of what M. Cérsted had 
previously done, I have given exactly the same kind of division 
as he had done. I was obviously led to my arrangement in a 
great measure (or at least into the division of bodies into acids 
and bases) by Berthollet’s observations in his treatise on affinity. 
