236 METALS* 



for believing in the existence of such a compound 

 gaseous metal. The chloride of ammonium is named 

 in accordance with this view. Judging from the prop- 

 erties of the salt, we might reasonably expect, by re- 

 moval of its chlorine, to obtain from it a substance 

 with metallic properties, as well as from chloride of 

 sodium or common salt. But the experiment does not 

 justify the expectation. As soon as the chlorine is re- 

 moved, the metal also decomposes, and a mixture of 

 gases is the result. The principal ground for attribu- 

 ting a metallic character to the combination of nitrogen 

 and hydrogen gases, in the preparations above stated, 

 has been already indicated. They supply, in certain 

 salts, the place which known metals fill in the other 

 and similar compounds. A confirmatory experiment 

 is described in the succeeding paragraphs. 



584. AMMONIUM AMALGAM. Another 



Slate another ...., . ~ 



reason for be- ground for believing in the existence of 

 l exSce l of e a ammonium, with true metallic properties, 

 metal ammo- i s found in the following experiment : If 



nium. . i i 



chloride of ammonium be mixed with an 

 amalgam of sodium and mercury, a double 

 decomposition ensues. The chlorine and 

 sodium unite to form common salt, while the 

 mercury combines with the ammonium with- 

 out losing its metallic lustre. But there is no 

 instance of this retention of metallic properties in the 

 combination of mercury or any other metal with any 

 non-metallic substance. The inference is that ammo- 

 nium is a metal. But any attempt to isolate it by re- 



