btujtion. 



'^CHEMICAL THEORY. \QJ . 



matter of light, and a base : when I speak therefore of oxigen, Dissertation oa 

 I mean the base of oxigen gas, which perhaps can only exist e^ectf orheatt 

 in combination with the base of an inflammable substance, light, and com- 

 thereby forming a product of combustion. 



Now therefore let us examine sorar. cases of combustion, 

 to observe whether our theory will apply, and it will be pre- 

 ferable to begin with the most simple. Water is known, 

 (a product of combustion) to consist of o^jgen and hydro- 

 gen, or rather of the bases of oxigen and hydrogen gases, and 

 consequently the heat and light were evolved in the conver- 

 sion of these gases into water. It therefore must be appa- 

 rent to all, that as oxigen and hydrogen gases consist of four 

 substances, and water of but two, that to reproduce the 

 jgases from water, the light and caloric must be added ; but 

 it may be said that heat and light will not unite with water, 

 and convert it into its component partsj if we apply water to 

 the strongest light and heat, it will only be converted into 

 vapour. To this I answer, that the heat and light in the 

 gases exist in the latent form, and we can only cause them 

 lo combiile with water by presenting them to it in such 

 states. But hov/ can we procure such light and heat, they 

 are incognizable to ihe senses, and therefore must be imper^ 

 cei)tible ? I hold ekctriciti/ to be lig/it and heat cojnbincd, an'l 

 capable of effecting this change. When I speak of electric 

 jnatter, I mean, that though light and heat are generally ap- 

 parent on electric matter passing from one body to another, 

 yet that this light and heat are not necessarily in a sensible 

 state, for electricity has the power of entering some sub- 

 stances without producing a shock, or evolving light and 

 heat : to prove this, we will make some observations upon 

 the efiects of electricity on combustible substances, and pro- 

 ducts of combustion. Combustible substances, according to 

 OL:r theory, are binary compounds, consisting of a base and 

 heat; to expel this heat it is necessary to present to them a 

 substance known by the title, oxigen gas, which is a com- 

 bination of a base and light. A mixture of these two 

 substances may the^;efore be supposed to be saturated with 

 the matters of light and heat, but by an indeast of tempera- 

 ture a divellent attraction takes place, the base of the oxigen 

 having a greater affinity for the base of ih? inflammable 



than 



