44 THE CHEMISTRY OF CREATION. 



parts of nitrogen, and forty parts of oxygen ; 

 that is, one equivalent of nitrogen, or 14+5 

 equivalents of oxygen or 40. Add these to- 

 gether, and we have 54 as the equivalent or 

 combining quantity of this acid. Of how great 

 importance the knowledge of this, and indeed 

 of all the laws of chemical philosophy, is in the 

 Arts, need scarcely to be told. As an illustra- 

 tion, if it were requisite to make pure nitrate 

 of soda, and nitric acid and the alkali, soda, 

 were put into our hands to form it with, this 

 last rule teaches us exactly how much nitric 

 acid and how much soda we ought to use, so 

 that the one shall be in exact combining pro- 

 portion to the other, and so prevent our wasting 

 either of these substances. 



Thus, Soda is . Sodium 23 -27 

 Oxygen 8- 



31-27 



We already know the combining quantity of 

 nitric, acid to be 54 ; therefore, in order to 

 produce nitrate of soda, we must weigh out 

 31*27 grains or pounds of soda, and 54 grains 

 or pounds of nitric acid. On mixing them 

 we should exactly form nitrate of soda with 

 neither acid nor alkali in excess. The im- 

 mense works now in full operation as chemical 



