74 OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN GASES. 



It is of no great consequence which of these 

 opinions be adopted ; yet if we take a view of 

 the various compounds into which hydrogen 

 enters, we can have little hesitation in fixing 

 upon 0-125 for its atomic weight. A few of 

 these compouuds may be noticed in this place. 

 The evidence of the facts here stated will be 

 laid before the reader in the subsequent chap- 

 ters of this work. 

 Atom of i. It is now known that oxygen and hydrogen 



hydrogen / & '. 



weighs unite in two proportions. Water contains the 

 smallest quantity, while the deutoxide of hy- 

 drogen, discovered by Thenard, contains the 

 greatest quantity of oxygen. The composition 

 of these bodies is as follows : 



Water consists of 1 + 0-125 



Deutoxide of hydrogen of 2 + 0-125 



According to this way of stating the consti- 

 tuents, water is a compound of 1 atom oxygen, 

 and 1 atom hydrogen ; and the deutoxide of 

 2 atoms oxygen and 1 atom hydrogen. But if 

 we state the constituents according to Berze- 

 lius's views, 



OXYGEN. HYDROGEN". 



Water consists of 1 + 0-0625 X 2 or 2 atoms. 

 Deutoxide of . 1 _}. 0-0625 or 1 atom. 



Or, water is a compound of 1 atom oxygen and 

 2 atoms hydrogen ; and the deutoxide of 1 atom 

 oxygen and 1 atom hydrogen. Now, would it 



