102 



CHEMISTRY. 



Molt substance! are rendered liquid by heat ; but these 

 are the only bodies that are permanently liquid in this 

 country. 



Some liquids may be mixed, and of course combine in 

 any proportion whatever. In this respect they resemble 

 the gases. The following is a list of these liquids : 



Water with .... alcohol. 



nitric acid. 



sulphuric acid. 

 Alcohol with . . . ether. 

 Sulphuric acid with nitric acid. 

 Fixed oils with . . petroleum. 



volatile oils. 



fixed oils. 

 Volatile oils with . petroleum. 



volatile oils. 



These liquids, when once mixed, form a homogeneous 

 compound, and do not afterwards separate again. The 

 union is attended with the evolution of heat, and with 

 a certain degree of condensation, for the specific gravity 

 is always greater than the mean. 



The following Table exhibits a list of those liquids 

 that unite with each other only in certain proportions. 



Water -with . 

 Alcohol with 



Ether with . . . 

 Volatile oils with 



. ether. 



volatile oils. 

 , volatile oils. 



petroleum. 



phosphuret of sulphur. 



volatile oils. 



petroleum. 



petroleum. 



The following Table exhibits a list of the most re- 

 markable liquids that do not sensibly combine : 



Water with .... petroleum. 



fixed oils. 



supersulphureted hydrogen. 

 Fixed oils with . . ether. 

 Mercury with . . . water. 



alcohol. 



ether. 



volatile oils. 



petroleum. 



No doubt the action of liquids on each other depends 

 upon their affinity. The first class have the greatest af- 

 finity for each other ; that of the second is greater, and 

 that *f the third is less than the cohesion of the particles 

 of each. 



Water has the property of combining with a very great 

 number of solid bodies. It combines with them in two 

 ways. In the first way, the solid retains its solidity, while 

 the water loses its liquid form. Such combinations are 

 called hydrate*. In this way water combines with sul- 

 phur, metallic oxides, earths, alkalies, many acids, all 

 salts, hydrosulphurets, and many animal and vegetable 

 substances. In the second way, the water dissolves the 

 solid, and the whole becomes liquid. I n this way it acts 

 up- many acids, alkalies, earths, salts, and vegetable 

 substances. 



These combinations are all chemical, and the hydrates 

 appear to be the most intimate. Their specific gravity 

 is always greater than the mean, while the specific gravity 

 of saline solutions is usually less than the mean. 



The action of the other liquids on solids has been hi- 

 therto but imperfectly investigated. 



of 

 Chfiniitrr. 



CHAP. III. 



r 



Of Solids. 



SOLIDS ire bodies composed of particles that cohere Of Solids. 

 together, and cannot be moved among themselves with- 

 out the exertion of a force sufficient to destroy the co- 

 hesion of the body. They are very numerous, and their 

 specific gravity varies more than that of gases or liquids. 

 The following Table exhibits the specific gravity of the 

 most remarkable solids : 



Sp. Gravity. 



Charcoals 0.223 to 1.526 



Vegetable bodies . . . . 0.240 to 1.354 



Salts 0.273 to 7.176 



Earths 0.346 to 4.8!'J 



Solid acids 0.667 to 3.391 



Earthy compounds . . . 0.680 to 4.81.1 

 Bitumens and solid oils . . 0.892 to 1.357 



Fixed alkalies 1.336 to 1.708 



Phosphorus 1.770 



Carburets of iron . . . 1.987 to 7.840 



Sulphur 1.990 



Glass 2.732 to 3.32.Q 



Carbon 3.518 to 3.531 



Metallic sulphurets . . . 3.225 to 10.00O 

 Metals and alloys and oxides 0.600 to 23.00 



The following solids combine with each other in any 

 proportion whatever : 



Sulphur with phosphorus. 



Carbon with iron ? 



Metals with most metals. 



Protoxide of antimony with sulphurct of antimony. 



Earths with earths. 



Earths with some metallic oxides. 



Some earths with fixed alkalies. 



Fixed alkalies with solid oils. 



Solid oils with each other and with bitumen. 



All these combinations are produced by means of 

 heat ; unless they be brought into fusion, or at least one 

 of them, they do not combine. 



The following Table exhibits the principal solids, 

 which have been observed to unite only in determinate 

 proportions : 



Sulphur with . . 



Phosphorus with 

 Acids with . . 



metals. 



some metallic oxides. 



earths. 



fixed alkalies > 



carbon. 



metals. 



some earths. 



alkalies. 



earths. 



metallic oxides. 



These combinations are more intimate than the pre- 

 ceding, they have been more accurately examined, and 

 arc better known. They never take place, unless one of 

 the bodies at least be brought first into a liquid state, 

 either by means of heat, or by solution in water. 



The salts are the most important of these combina- 

 tions, and a vast number of experiments have been made, 

 in order to ascertain the proportions in which their COT- 



