4*68 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 



constitute about the half of the whole, if we 

 exclude the anhydrous salts. 



If we except acetate of ammonia and quad- 

 roxalate of potash, none of the salts of ammonia, 

 potash, soda, barytes, strontian, or lime, contain 

 7 atoms of water. And, except phosphate of 

 magnesia, all the salts which contain 7 atoms 

 water are either sulphates or nitrates. The 

 metalline sulphates seem to affect 7 atoms water. 



No salt of barytes, strontian, iron, manganese, 

 bismuth, or mercury, contains 6 atoms of water; 

 and only 14 simple salts occur containing that 

 quantity of water. The other five are com- 

 pound salts. 



Salts containing 5, 8, 10, and 12 atoms are 

 very rare. No salt has been met with containing 

 11 atoms. 



The oxalates are either anhydrous, or they 

 contain 1, 2, or 3 atoms of water. Only 2 salts 

 contain more : namely, the oxalate of nickel, 

 which contains 4, and the quadroxalate of pot- 

 ash, which contains 7 atoms. 



The tartrates are either anhydrous, or they 

 contain 1, 2, or 3 atoms of water. One salt 

 contains 4 atoms, the tartrate of lime, and one 

 contains 5 atoms, the tartrate of bismuth. 



The acetates vary much more in their compo- 

 sition. They occur with 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 

 atoms water ; but very rarely anhydrous. 



