Existence of Radicals in the Amphide Salts disproved. 261 
and expansion of the error of those by which it is preceded. We 
are informed that the “capacity of saturation augments and di- 
minishes with the quantity of hydrogen which can be replaced,” 
which is again an inversion of the truth, that the quantity of hy- 
drogen varying with the capacity, the quantity of any other rad- 
ical, competent to replace it, must be in equivalent proportion. 
98. Is not the concluding allegation a mere truism, by which 
we are informed, “that if any undetermined quantity of any ele- 
ment should be introduced into the composition of the radical, 
without changing the capacity (as measured by hydrogen), the 
capacity would be found the same when measured by any other 
radical ?” 
99. As all that is thus ascribed to hydrogen must be equally 
true of any other radical, there would have been less liability to 
misapprehension, had the generic term radical been employed 
wherever hydrogen is mentioned. But by employing the word 
radical to designate halogen elements, the advocates of the exist- 
ence of compound radicals in amphide salts have deprived the 
word in question of much of its discriminating efficacy. In fact, 
their nomenclature would confound all ultimate elements under 
one generic appellation, and all their binary combinations under 
another, so that almost every chemical reagent, whether simple 
or compound, would be a salt or a radical. 
100. Before concluding, I feel it to be due to the celebrated 
German chemist above mentioned, to add, that however I may 
differ from him as to the acids being hydrurets of compound rad- 
icals, I am fully disposed to make acknowledgments for the light 
thrown by his analytical researches on organic chemistry, and 
the successful effect of his ingenious theoretic speculations, in 
rendering that science more an object of study with physicians 
and agriculturists. 
