Remarks on the Theory of Compound Salt Radicals. 53 



while the term ide, from the terminal syllable of the words oxide, 

 chloride, &c. will serve to embrace in a single group all amphides 

 and halides whatever, whether acids or bases. 



3. In the first place then it is remarkable, that while it is as- 

 serted in favor of the new theory, that a great number of what 

 are termed oxyacids have not been obtained in an isolated state 

 or uncombined with bases, the fact that the oxysalts themselves 

 constitute but one out of four very numerous classes of salts, viz. 

 sulphur-salts, selenio-salts and telluri-salts, and that without ex- 

 ception the sulph-acids, selen-acids and tellur-acids have been ob- 

 tained uncombined with bases, is wholly neglected. Indeed the 

 supporters of the new theory do not appear to have at all contem- 

 plated the effects of its extension beyond the comparatively nar- 

 row limits of the oxysalts, considered as forming a single family. 



4. In the case of almost all those oxysalts in which the exist- 

 ence of an electro-negative oxyacid has not been demonstrated 

 synthetically, a definite isolated amphide or halide exists, whose 

 formula is precisely analogous to that which the hypothetic oxy- 

 acid would have if obtained in a separate state. Thus the exist- 

 ence of acetic, formic, benzoic and oxalic acids in the salts whose 

 formulas are Ac0 3 +RO, Fo0 3 + RO, BzO + RO, C 2 3 + R0, 

 may be inferred from the well known possibility of obtaining in 

 an isolated state the chlorides, iodides, sulphides, &c. AcCl 3 , 

 FoCl 3 , Pol 3 , BzCl s BzS, Bzl, C 2 C1 3 , which obviously corres- 

 pond to the hypothetic Ac0 3 , Fo0 3 , BzO, C 2 3 . 



5. In the particular cases of nitric, chloric and bromic acids, no 

 such parallel amphides or halides are known to exist, yet the ar- 

 gument from analogy is even in these cases hardly less strong. 

 The isolable oxides of antimony Sb0 3 , Sb0 4 , SbO s are com- 

 pletely parallel to those of nitrogen N0 3 , N0 4 , NO., of which 

 the first two may also be obtained in a separate state ; and in like 

 manner the existence of such compounds as C10 s , and Bz0 5 , is 

 rendered, to say the least, extremely probable, by that of the defi- 

 nite corresponding iodic acid, 10 5 , whose compounds with oxy- 

 bases so strongly resemble the chlorates and bromates. 



6. In addition to the very forcible observation of Dr. Hare, 

 that while some of the oxygen acids have not been isolated, all 

 of the assumed salt-radicals are in the same predicament, it may 

 be worth while to state that the assertion of Dr. Kane, that, of 

 all known acids, those which have not hitherto been obtained 

 uncombined with bases constitute a great majority, would be 



