416 



prize, Dr. Kane has pursued his researches on ammonia, and has 

 shown, with apparently a high prohahility, that there exist ami- 

 dides (though not yet insulated) of other* metals besidesm ercury, 

 especially of silver and copper ; that is, combinations of these me- 

 tals with the proximate element amide or amidogene. He has also 

 given, in great detail, a series of analyses performed by him on a 

 large number of compound bodies, of which some had been imper- 

 fectly examined before, while others were discovered by himself. 

 But as it would lead into far too great length, and too minute detail, 

 if any attempt were made at present to review these laborious pro- 

 cesses of analytical chemistry, and as indeed they derive their chief 

 philosophical interest from the views with which they have been 

 associated, it may be proper to attempt no more than a very brief 

 (I fear that it will also be a very inadequate) sketch of those views. 

 Dr. Kane considers that in ammonia, which, in the usual lan- 

 guage of chemists, is said to consist of one atom of nitrogen and 

 three atoms of hydrogen, one of these atoms of hydrogen is more 

 loosely combined than the two others with the nitrogen, so as to be 

 capable of a comparatively easy replacement, by many, perhaps by 

 all, of the metals, as well as by organic radicals ; the other two 

 atoms of hydrogen being already, in the ammonia itself, and not 

 merely in the products of such replacement of hydrogen by metals, 

 combined in a particular way with the one atom of nitrogen, so as 

 to form that substance named amide or amidogene, which was de- 

 tected by Dumas (as has been mentioned) in performing the analysis 

 of oxamide. From Dr. Kane's own study of the combinations of 

 this substance amidogene (H^ N), with metals, he infers it to be a 

 compound radical of feebly electro-negative energy, analogous to 

 that important one cyanogen (CjN ), of which the discovery by Gay- 

 Lussac has exercised so powerful an influence on modern chemistry. 

 He considers this radical, amidogene, as existing ready formed, in 

 combination with hydrogen, in ammonia ; which latter substance is 

 thus, according to him, to be regarded as amidide of hydrogen ; 

 and as, in this respect, analogous to water, and to the hydro- 

 cyanic, hydro-sulphuric, and muriatic acids, that is, to the oxide, 



* Dr. Kane has since made it probable that there exist amidides of palladium 

 and platinum also. (Phil. Trans. 1842, part ii.) 



