Gerhardfs Organic Chemistry. 173 



pounds, N0 2 has been viewed as replacing one equivalent of hy- 

 drogen in the organic body, but a more extended examination 

 has led to the establishment of the following principle. " The 

 hydrogen of one of the bodies unites with the oxygen of the other 

 to form water and the remaining elements are left in combina- 

 tion." The action of nitric acid and benzene may then be thus 

 represented. 



(C a H 6 -H 2 )4-(NH0 3 -0) = C 6 H 4 NH0 2 and H, O. 

 Ihe residue NHC\ replaces H 2 in the compound. 



To distinguish this phenomenon from metalepsis, M. Gerhardt 

 designates it as accouplement and the compounds thus formed as 

 coupled bodies. This beautiful law admits of a very extended 

 application, and renders useless the various hypothetical radicals 

 which have been assumed to explain the different reactions of 

 organic compounds. 



Another class of combinations are those formed by the direct 

 union of two bodies, of which we have examples in the compli- 

 cation of two molecules of the oil of bitter almonds to form one 

 of benzoine ; chlorine and hydrochloric acid also unite directly 

 w ith many essential oils, and the salts of ammonia and the organic 

 alkaloids are examples of the same class of compounds. The 

 application of these principles to different classes of products will 

 be considered farther on.— (Precis, Vol. I, pp. 58-66.) 



These changes in the view of the composition of bodies 

 necessarily require some change in nomenclature. Our present 

 system was a grand and beautiful conception worthy of the 

 genius of its framers, and undoubtedly more complete in its plan 

 and its capability of extension than that of any other science. 

 But since it involves in its names of salts the idea that they con- 

 ta ! n n y dro gen in the state of water and metals as oxyds, a theory 

 wn ich is now no longer admissible, some alteration has become 

 necessary. The principle that the name of the compound should 

 express its composition, which is one of the most important fea- 

 tures of the old svstem, is still retained, and the name of the 

 Weal substance is the designation of a genus of which the 

 , odles derived from it by replacements, are species to which the 

 bmotnial nomenclature of Linnaeus is applied. The type of the 

 genus is that which contains only the organic elements, and is 

 ae signated as the normal species. 



Species of the genus Acetate 



•» 



formal Acetate, (Acetic acid,) C 2 H,0 



^otassic do. (Acetate of potash,) C, (H 3 K) 2 . 



^genti c do. (Acetate of silver,) C 2 (H 3 Ag) 2 



1 nch orinzed do. (Chloracetic acid,) C 3 (CI, H) 2 



j/ichloro-potassic do. (Chloracetate of potash,) C 3 (Cl 3 K) 2 



nchloro-argentic do. ( Chloracetate of silver, ) C 2 (CI 3 Ag ) O 



