i SI 3-3 Azote, of Hydrogen, and of Ammonia. 11*1 



the acid must contain either B or 6 times 14 "71 5 of oxygen. 

 But nitric acid has the properly of forming with oxide of lead 

 several salts with excess of base ; as I have shown in my memoir 

 on the composition of salts with excess of base (Ann. de Chimie, 

 June 1812). And among these subnitrates there is one in which 

 the acid is combined with twice as much base as in the neutral 

 nitrate: but if the above-mentioned law be just, it is clear that 

 the oxygen in nitric acid cannot be 5 times 14> - 715; because, 

 were that the case, the oxygen of the acid in the subnitrate just 

 mentioned would not be a multiple of that in the base by a 

 whole number, but by 2-A-; consequently the true quantity of 

 oxygen in 100 parts of nitric acid must be 6 times 14 , 715, or 

 SS'29. But as the most exact experimenters have not indicated 

 so great a quantity of oxygen in nitric acid, it is necessary that 

 the oxygen wanting should be contained in the azote, which of 

 course must be a compound of oxygen and a combustible radicle. 



Such are the conclusions which I have drawn from my expe- 

 riments hitherto published. I do not know how far chemical 

 philosophers will allow thcin to be well founded; but, in hopes 

 that the laws of chemical proportions which I have endeavoured 

 to establish will be one day examined and admitted, I will con- 

 tinue in this paper my researches respecting the nature of the 

 bodies announced in the title; and I shall commence with the 

 composition of nitric acid, supposing it to have azote for its 

 radicle. 



It is well known that M. Gay-Lussac accompanied his impor- 

 tant discovery of the proportions in which gaseous bodies com- 

 bine by an analysis of the oxides of azote, and of nitrous and 

 nitric acids. He found that nitric acid contains one volume of 

 azotic gas and two volumes of oxygen gas, which amounts in 

 Wright to 30 5 a/.ote, and 69 "5 oxygen. Messrs. Cavendish and 

 Davy had obtained nearly the same result from their analytical 

 on this acid. These excellent authorities induced 

 me to confide in this determination; and in my analysis of the 

 subnitrates mid subnitrites I obtained a satisfactory confirmation 

 of it; that is to say, I thought I obtained a subnitrate such that 

 rid ;:nd oxide contained each an equal quantity of oxygen, 

 •apposing the acid composed as above stated. 1 was struck with 

 this anomaly; and 1 have stated (Ann. de Chim. June 1812) 

 xperiments v. Inch it induced me to make, though they led 

 me to no satisfactory explanation. In consequence of the new 

 rmination of the composition of nitric acid by Dalton and 

 . I nave been engaged to resume my researches, and have 

 happy enough to see the anomaly 'disappear, and to ob- 

 tain remits which throw much light on the nature of azote. 



Mr. Dalton, who has given, in liis New System of Chemical 

 Philosophy, a corpuscular theory from which the doctrine of 



