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CHEMISTRY. 



devoted to the advancement of chemistry, a 

 disposition to test the later results of investiga- 

 tion, with a view to the elimination of error, 

 and the compacting and strengthening of the 

 foundations of the science. This is seen in 

 the study and discussion, by eminent authori- 

 ties, of such questions as the variability of the 

 law of definite proportions ; the principles that 

 should govern in the simplification and ex- 

 tension of the nomenclature; the revision of 

 atomic weights; and the verification of old 

 and the introduction of new and improved 

 methods of analysis ; while much valuable 

 work has also been done in simplifying and 

 perfecting methods and processes in the several 

 departments of practical and applied chemistry. 

 Chemical Philosophy. In a paper presented to 

 the Chemical Society of Paris, Boutlerow al- 

 luded to the announcement by Schiitzenberger, 

 that in analyzing some hydrocarbons, the sum 

 of the carbon and hydrogen was 101 for 100 

 parts of material ; the result under other con- 

 ditions being normal. The question thus raised, 

 as to whether the law of definite proportions 

 may not, like Boyle's and Mariotte's laws, vary 

 within small limits, Boutlerow has undertaken 

 to examine by a series of experiments. If we 

 disregard the physicist's theory that atoms are 

 definite indivisible particles, the atomic weight 

 of an element represents merely that weight of 

 matter which carries a fixed quantity of chemi- 

 cal energy. The quantity of forms of energy 

 other than chemical is not determined by the 

 mass of the portion of matter in which they 

 reside. The energy may increase while the 

 mass remains the same, as when the velocity 

 of a moving body increases, and it is suppos- 

 able that chemical energy varies similarly to a 

 very slight extent. This would make possible a 

 variation in the composition of compounds, but 

 the varieties would be identical as far as their 

 chemical properties are concerned. The prop- 

 erties of a compound result simply from the 

 reciprocal action of the mutually saturated 

 combined elements, and this state of saturation 

 would remain unchanged in these varieties, 

 since the quantities of chemical energy acting 

 on each side are still the same, only the mass 

 of the carriers changing. This paper was fol- 

 lowed by a statement from Schtitzenberger of 

 his views on the subject. His researches would 

 seem to show that within the very narrow 

 range thropgh which a body may vary in com- 

 position, is a ratio which gives the maximum 

 stability, and this ratio represents the normal 

 composition. Crystallization imposes a rigid 

 constancy of combining proportions, but the 

 composition of bodies can generally be varied 

 by varying the circumstances under which 

 they are formed. Among the cases enumer- 

 ated by Schtitzenberger are the following : 1. 

 Hydrocarbons, such as are obtained from Cau- 

 casian petroleum, or even turpentine, when 

 burned in a combustion-tube with CuO and a 

 current of oxygen, show always a loss of car- 

 bon of 1 to H per cent, when effected at a low 



temperature and under circumstances where 

 no carbonous oxide or empyreumatic products 

 could escape. 2. When diamond is burned at 

 a high temperature in pure oxygen, the carbon 

 dioxide formed has oxidizing properties which 

 it does not possess when produced by the com- 

 bustion of an organic compound at the ex- 

 pense of CuO. 3. Barium carbon ate obtained 

 by precipitating baryta-water pure, boiling, 

 by an excess of CO 2 , washing and drying at 

 100, then at 440, contains, as Berzelius 

 showed, 21*7 per cent. CO 2 for 78*5 per cent. 

 BaO. Heated to a red heat in a current of 

 dry oxygen, it increases considerably in weight 

 without losing CO 2 ; and the product gives 

 22-0 to 22-05 of CO 2 to 76'6 of BaO. 4. Nu- 

 merous analyses of metallic oxides show varia- 

 tion in composition within narrow limits, ac- 

 cording to their mode of formation. HgO 

 derived from the nitrate produces, in oxidizing 

 formic acid, more carbon dioxide than the pre- 

 cipitated oxide. Ferric oxide obtained from 

 the nitrate gives the atomic weight 54 for Fe, 

 from the formula Fe 2 O 3 ; while the ferric ox- 

 ide obtained by roasting ferrous oxalate gives 

 56. The same differences are observed with 

 tin, manganese, load, cadmium, zinc, and cop- 

 per oxides. 



Prof. A. W. Williamson, in his address at 

 the British Association, on " Chemical Nomen- 

 clature," remarked that the chief object sought 

 in the nomenclature had been to state in a 

 name, as briefly as possible, certain important 

 facts. The first condition and requirement of 

 a nnine was that it should call to mind, without 

 ambiguity, some particular thing or one partic- 

 ular idea. The more a name could be defined 

 and shortened the better it would be for chem- 

 istry. In the modern progress of the science 

 particularly in the department of the carbon 

 compounds the purpose of obtaining clearness 

 and avoiding ambiguity in the nomenclature 

 had been, with few exceptions, satisfactorily 

 attained ; but the chief object of convenience 

 had not been reached to an equal extent in 

 giving names to some of the more complex 

 compounds. Some of the names told their story 

 in a manner really free from any ambiguity, but 

 in a very long and inconvenient word. On the 

 other hand, the systematic process had been 

 adopted to a considerably less degree in the 

 names of common substances, which in the 

 case of the older names were based upon facts 

 indeed, but upon facts which were by no 

 means the only ones to be recalled. Other 

 names had grown up which were purely em- 

 pirical, which did not recall any particular 

 properties, but seemed with great convenience 

 and without ambiguity to indicate the body. It 

 was sometimes proper to change a name un- 

 der the sanction of new information, but this 

 should be done as little as possible, especially 

 when a name once given had come to be used 

 in relation to a particular substance. When 

 changes tended to introduce confusion, they 

 were necessarily injurious to the progress of 



