1814.] made during the Year 1813. 17 



9. Sir Humphry Davy has shown that steel does not acquire the 

 well-known colours by the application of heat, unless air or oxygen 

 be present. Hence it is obvious that the colours are owing to 

 oxidation. This fact has been long known at Sheffield, and em- 

 ployed to embellish steel instruments. 



10. Berzelius has published a curious and acute dissertation in 

 order to prove that azote is a compound of oxygen and an unknown 

 base, to which he has given the name of nitrkum. He conceives 

 nitric acid to be a compound of 6 atoms of oxygen and 1 of nitric. 

 He has sliown that hydrogen can contain no oxygen ; and that 

 ammonia is a compound of hydrogen and azote. Tiie oxygen 

 which he conceives to be present in that alkali lie supposes to exist 

 in the azote. We refer our readers to the 10th and 1 1th Numbers 

 of the Annals of Philosophy, where they will find this valuable 

 dissertation. It contains, as usual, various accurate chemical 

 analyses. 



These are the most important new facts respecting the simple 

 substances, and their immediate compounds, which have been 

 made known during the course of the last year. It would be easy 

 to point out several other facts; but they are of minor importance, 

 and we have carried this part of our historical sketch to the utmost 

 verge of our limits. 



4. Salts. 



The sails are a very numerous and important class of bodies. 

 Several valuable additions have been made either to the number 

 or analyses of these bodies. The following are the principal facts 

 of that nature which have come to my knowledge : — 



1. Mr. Dalton has published an analysis of the oxymuriate ot 

 lime, a salt originally prepared in the dry way by Mr. Tennant of 

 Glasgow, and used in great quantities by bleachers. Mr. Dalton 

 found that dry oxymuriate of lime is a compound of 2 atoms of lime 

 and 1 of acid. When it is dissolved in water one half of the lime 

 is deposited, and a compound of 1 atom lime and 1 atom acid is 

 dissolved in the water. By age the oxymuriatic acid is changed 

 into common muriatic acid, which injures the value of the salt in a 

 commercial point of view. 



2. Ber/elius lias discovered and anafysed several new nitrates of 

 lead, of which an account has been given in a paper by that cele- 

 brated chemist published in the 2d volume of the Annals of Phi- 

 losophy, p. 27ft. The neutral nitrate, or the nitrate before known, 

 whicli crystallizes in octahedrons, is composed of 100 acid + 

 205-81 yellow oxide of lead. The three new salts discovered by 

 Berzelius arc subiiitrates; the first composed of 100 acid + 'J05"8l 



X 2 yellow oxide; the second, of 100 acid + 205*81 x 3 yellow 

 oxide; and the third, of 100 acid -\- 205'81 x G yellow oxide. 

 Berzelius calls these salts subnibule at a ininitnnwy inlerini'diatc 

 subnilratc, and subnilratc ul a maximiini. But these names are not 



Vol. 111. N° I. B 



