SYNTHESIS SILVER NITRATE. 189 



atomic weights to be wrong and he pushed the value of 

 nitrogen still higher up. 



These differences are not insignificant, for the Stasians 

 depend upon the values of the thousandths in the claim for 

 exactness; they cannot drop this when confronted with 

 greater discrepancies between Stas' own results mutually, 

 than between the values of Marignac and Penny. 



The entire range of the individual determinations 

 amounts to 12 hundredths, or 0.12, on the atomic weight of 

 nitrogen ; that is, almost ONE per cent! 



The work of Stas all lies on one side the work of the 

 other chemists all lies on the other side. 



This diagram shows with absolute evidence that the work 

 of Stas is in no way more reliable than that of the other 

 chemists. 



If they erred to one side, Stas erred as much on the other 

 side! 



The means between Marignac and Penny differ palpably 

 no more than the means between Stas' first and last series. 



Marignac fused is 0.02 below Penny dried; but Stas fused, 

 first series, is 0.025 below Stas dried, last series. 



The school of Stas has followed the example of its 

 founder to the letter; it has descried the work of the older 

 chemists as inferior in exactness, therefore, practically 

 worthless; it has denounced the ideas and determinations of 

 other chemists as ridiculous imaginations and chimerical. 

 See pp. 78-79; also p. 99. 



Further, as to the pretended higher concordance of the 

 individual determinations of Stas as compared to those of 

 Marignac and Penny, our diagram representing all the facts 

 equally and to exactly the same scale, shows this boasted 

 higher concordance in Stas work is also nothing but a sham 

 and a pretense. 



The fact is presented in our diagram; the divergence 

 increases, from an approximate center, in both directions I 



Stas " fused" atoms of nitrogen differed less than his 

 " dried " atoms, the first being placed nearer that center; so 

 did the " dried " atoms of Penny differ less than the " fused " 

 atoms of Marignac. 



