34 HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY. [LECTURE in. 



oxides is introduced, and to this word the specific name is 

 appended in the genitive ; for example, oxide de zinc, oxide de 

 plomb, etc. 



The remaining binary compounds are distinguished as 

 sulphur, phosphorus, carbon, etc., compounds, and receive the 

 class names : sulfures, phosphures, carbures, etc. 



Compounds of the metals with one another are called 

 alliages (alloys), the expression amalgames being retained, how- 

 ever, for mercury alloys. 



Amongst the ternary compounds, the salts alone need be 

 mentioned. They obtain their class names from the acids from 

 which they are derived, and are called accordingly : sulfates, 

 nitrates, phosphates. The termination ate becomes ite when the 

 salts are derived from the acid poorer in oxygen instead of from 

 that richer in oxygen. The name of the base is appended ; for 

 example, sulfate de zinc, de baryte, etc. When the salt has an 

 acid reaction, the word acidule is employed ; on the other hand 

 they call basic salts sursature de soude, etc. 4 Relatively few 

 double salts were known at that time. The designation intro- 

 duced for these was not very convenient ; for example, tartar 

 emetic was called " tar 'trite de potasse tenant d'antimoine " 5 

 (tartrate of potash containing antimony). 



This general review may suffice. Berzelius, as is well known, 

 considerably extended these beginnings of a rational nomen- 

 clature, and I shall refer to some of his improvements and 

 expansions when considering his period. 



On comparing the science of to-day with what I stated in 

 the preceding lecture regarding Lavoisier's views, it will be 

 possible to judge of the extent to which the latter have been 

 retained. Lavoisier's theories required modification on several 

 points ; but on others his ideas were attacked without result, 

 since it has been necessary to return to them again. Thus 

 Lavoisier's theory of acids is now abandoned by the majority 

 of chemists. The introduction of the new views only took 



4 Nomenclature Chimique. 93 and 97. 5 Ibid. 52 ; on p. 235 it is 

 called " tartrite de potasse antimonie " (antimoniated tartrate of potash). 



