ANALYSIS. 



bears to the genius and received forms of 

 a language. 



ANALYSIS, in a general sense, is the 

 resolution of something compounded in- 

 to its constituent parts. Hence, 



ANALYSIS, in chemistry, is the separa- 

 tion of any substance into its constituent 

 parts, with a view of ascertaining their 

 nature, relative proportion, and mode of 

 union. An instance of this kind is to be 

 h:ul in the decomposition of water, by 

 which it is found that the constituent parts 

 are hydrogen and oxygen, in the propor- 

 tion of fifteen parts of the former, and 

 eighty-five parts of the latter. A- 

 operation in chemistry is attended with a 

 disunion of parts, the formation of new 

 compounds is almost an invariable conse- 

 quence ; hence, the business of analysis 

 is intimately connected with the whole of 

 chemical science, and can be only tho- 

 roughly understood by one that is well 

 versed in every branch of chemistry. On 

 so extensive a subject, it is in vain to 

 attempt laying down precise rules for the 

 mode of operation generally. We may, 

 however, observe that a compound, once 

 formed, perpetually acquires the powers 

 of an element, in being able to unite, un- 

 decomposed, with other bodies, simple or 

 compounded, in various proportions ; and 

 thus to produce new substances, in which 

 the constituent parts often retain their 

 original affinities, and in analysis again 

 separate into their elementary substances. 

 We may refer to nitrate of ammonia, 

 which is a salt composed of nitric acid, 

 ammonia, and water, each of which is it- 

 self a compound, but in this particular 

 combination, it acts as an elementary 

 body : thus, nitric acid consists of azote 

 and oxygen : ammonia, of azote and hy- 

 drogen : and water, as we have seen, of 

 >x\gi-n and hydrogen: so that, in truth, 

 there are only azote, hydrogen, and oxy- 

 gen, that enter into the combination of 

 nitrate of ammonia; but in their simple 

 state, they cannot be made to form the 

 salt ; it is requisite that the acid, the al- 

 kali, and the water, should be first form- 

 ed, in order toget the neutral suit. 



The business of chemical analysis is to 

 resolve a body into its constituent parts; 

 but the first question is, to determine, in 

 every instance of analysis, whether ilic 

 resolution should proceed to entire sepa- 

 ration into real elements, or only i-ito 

 i hose compounds which act as leiiK'ts ; 

 as in the cose referred to, whether the 

 nitrite of ammonia should b* ri 

 into a/.ote. hydrogen, and oxygen ; or 

 whether it should not first be reduced in- 



VOL.1 



to nitric acid, ammonia, and water. The 

 former mode is best calculated for re- 

 search, the latter for utility ; but a mix- 

 ture of the two methods is commonly 

 adopted, where the proportion and nature 

 of the compound produced has already 

 been fully ascertained by previous experi- 

 ment. The most rigid proof of the accu- 

 racy of analysis is, to be able to produce 

 the same compound, by uniting the identi- 

 cal parts which we have given as its con- 

 stituents. This can rarely be performed 

 in a manner perfectly satisfactory; but it 

 frequently happens that a substance may 

 be produced that resembles the one ana- 

 lysed, by employing similar constituents, 

 if not the identical substances. This 

 proof even is almost totally wanting in 

 the analysis of organised bodies, whether 

 vegetable or animal, especially when re- 

 duced to their ultimate elements, and 

 generally when only separated into their 

 immediate constituents. The agents made 

 use of in analysis are, heat, the electric 

 and galvanic fluids, if they are two fluids, 

 and the application of re-agents or sub- 

 stances, which indicate the parts of the 

 body to be examined. 



ANALYSIS, among logicians, is a me- 

 thod of tracing things backward to their 

 source, and of resolving knowledge into 

 its original principles. It is also called 

 the method of resolution, and stands op- 

 posed to the synthetic method, or method 

 of composition. The art of this method 

 consists chiefly in combining our percep- 

 tions, and classingthem together with ad- 

 dress ; and in contriving 9 proper expres- 

 sion of our thoughts, av as to represent 

 their several divisions classes, and rela- 

 tions. This is clearl* seen in the manner 

 of computing by figres in arithmetic, but 

 more particularly <h the symbols applied 

 in resolving algebraical problems. 



ANALYSIS, apong mathematicians, the 

 art of discovering the truth or falsehood 

 of a proposiv'on, or its possibility and im- 

 possibility. This is done by supposing 

 the proposition, such as it is, true; and 

 examiii'ig what follows from thence, un- 

 til wr arrive at some evident truth, or 

 sonv impossibility, of which the first pro- 

 p(t>ition is a nece^ :uence ; and 



from tin nee establish the truth or impos- 

 sibility of that proposition. 



The anal\ sis of the ancient geometri- 

 cians consisted in the application of the 

 propositions of Euclid, Apollonius, &c.till 

 they arrived, proceeding step by step, at 

 the truth required. That of the mode rns, 

 though not so elegant, must however, be 

 allowed more ready and general. By this 



