110 COMBUSTIBLE ACIDS. 



or the weight of an integrant particle of these 



crystals is 9*375 and not 9*5 as I formerly stated. 



Constitu. 5. When the tartrates are subjected to de- 



ents of tar- .... 



taricacid. structive distillation, they yield a quantity of 

 empyreumatic oil, showing clearly that hydrogen 

 enters as a constituent into the acid. The 

 quantity of carburetted hydrogen and carbonic 

 acid gases evolved, leaves no doubt that carbon 

 and oxygen constitute the other two. Berzelius 

 endeavoured to determine the proportion of 

 these constituents by burning a mixture of tar- 

 trate of lead and chlorate of potash in a glass 

 tube, and collecting the products in the manner 

 described in the last section, when treating of 

 the decomposition of oxalic acid. The products 

 obtained were 



Hydrogen 3-807 



Carbon 35*980 



Oxygen 60-213 



100-000 * 



Now, if we consider it as a compound of 



2 atoms hydrogen 0-25 or 3-030 

 4> atoms carbon =3 - 36-364 



5 atoms oxygen =5 - 60-606 



8-25 100 



we find its constituents just give the true ato- 



* Annals of Philosophy, V. 95. 



