l68 ON SUPERACID AND SUBACID SALTS. 



unite with a uniting to potash in a proportion intermediate between the 

 of^oxdic'acf/. trouble and quadruple quantity of acid, I neutrahzed forty- 

 eight grains of carbonate of potash with thirty grains of oxa- 

 lic acid, and added sixty grains more of acid, so tliat I had 

 two parts of potash of twenty-four grains each, and six 

 equivalent quantities of oxahc acid of fifteen grains each, in 

 solution, ready to crystallize together, if disposed to unite, 

 in the proportion of three to one; but the first portion of 

 salt that crystallized was the common binoxalate, or salt 

 of sorrel, and a portion selected from the after crystals 

 (which differed very discerniblj in their form) was found to 

 contain the quadruple proportion of acid. Hence it is to be 

 presumed, that if these salts could have been perfectly se- 

 parated, it would have been found, that the two quantities of 

 potash were equally divided, and combined in one instance 

 with two, and in the other with the remaining four of the six 

 equivalent quantities of acid taken. 

 Proportions of To account for this want of disposition to unite in the pro- 

 aci dn a a i. p^^.^^^^ ^^ ihvne to one by Mr. Dalton's theory, I appre- 

 hend he might consider the neutral salt as consisting of 



2 particles potash with 1 acid. 

 The binoxalate as 1 and 1, or 2 with 2, 



The quadroxalate as 1 and 2, or 2 with 4, 



in which cases the ratios which I have observed of the acids 

 to each other in these salts would respectively obtain. 

 PerTiaps the But an explanation, which admits the supposition of a 



a^geomeLdca^" double share of potash in the neutral salt, is not altogether 

 ratio of the ele. satisfactory; and I am further inclined to think, that when 

 our views are sufficiently extended, to enable us to reason 

 with precison concerning the proportions of elementary 

 atoms, we shall find the arithmetical relation alone will not 

 be sufficient to explain their mutjial action, and that we shall 

 Le obliged to acquire a geometrical conception of their rela- 

 tive arrangement in all the three dimensions of solid exten- 

 sion. 



Example. For instance, if we suppose the limit to the approach of 



particles to be the same in all directions, and hence their 

 virtual extent to be spherical (which is the most simple hy- 

 pothesis) ; in this case, when -different sorts combine singly 



thtre 



