OF THE ATOMIC THEORY. 



of oxygen. Hence, Berzelius's law could not 

 hold with perphosphate of iron, unless it con- 

 sisted only of 1 atom peroxide of iron united to 3 

 atoms of phosphoric acid. We are acquainted at 

 present with but very few compounds of peroxides 

 with acids ; yet, "when I come to treat of the salts, 

 I think I shall be able to point out some which 

 are not combined according to Berzelius's law. 

 It would, therefore, be extremely hazardous to 

 employ this law as a guide to enable us to deter- 

 mine the quantity of oxygen united to bases. 

 This, Berzelius is frequently in the habit of do- 

 ing, and I think it has misled him in a variety of 

 cases. These I may perhaps notice more parti- 

 cularly hereafter. 

 kh,5th,and Berzelius's fourth, fifth, and sixth laws, are 

 ' on founded entirely upon his own peculiar views re- 

 specting atomic combinations, and cannot, there- 

 ore ^ serve as guides to us. So far from being of 

 opinion that the combinations of 1 atom base, and 

 1 atom oxygen, constitute weak alkaline bodies, 

 I consider them as the strongest of all : for the 

 fixed alkalies, alkaline earths, and most of the 

 metallic oxides which constitute salifiable bases, 

 belong to this class of bodies. 



To the oxides which Berzelius considers as 

 composed of 1 atom base, and 1 atom oxygen, I 

 give the name of suboxides, and believe them to 

 be compounds of 2 atoms base, and 1 atom oxy- 

 gen. They have but a weak affinity for acids ; 



