818 SIE B. C. BEODIE ON THE CALCULUS OF CHEMICAL 0PEEATI0N8. 



(5) Symbol of Chlorine. — It is ascertained by experiment that 2 volumes of hydrd 

 chloric acid can be decomposed into 1 volume of hydrogen and 1 volume of chlorine. 



Hence, putting a^x"' as the symbol of the unit of hydrochloric acid, and «"%"' as the 

 symbol of the unit of chlorine, 



2a'"%'"'=a+a'Y'S 

 and 



whence 



2m =1+71, 



2mi=:»i, 

 and 



m=l, m^-=\, 



n-=l, ^1 = 2, 

 a minimum. 



Since the density of hydrochloric acid is 18'25, we have to determine the absolute 



weight of the simple weight %, 



m+miW?(x;)=18-25, 

 whence 



«;(x)=17-25, 

 which gives for the 



Symbol of hydrochloric acid ay^. 

 Symbol of chlorine . . . a^*, 

 in which case the above equation becomes 



2ax;= «+«%"• 

 The general solutions of the above equations, which contain all possible values of the 

 indices of the symbols, give 



w=l + 2^, ni=2(l+^i), 



whence we arrive at the following general forms, 



Hydrochloric acid a'+V^'S 

 Chlorine . . . a'+V+''^, 

 and 



. . 17-25-/ 



whence 



t is not >17, 

 and 



^1 is not < 0. 



