CHEMICAL THEORY ILLUSTRATED BY NEW FACTS. JQy 



ammonia; and (even supposing no reference to be made to 

 the experiments detailed in this paper,) the general analogy 

 of chemistry would lead to the notion of its being com- 

 pounded. 



Should it be established by future researches, thathidro- Arehidrogen, 

 . , r • • J -. • 1 ammoaia, aud 



gen IS a protoxide ot ammonium, ammonia a deutoxide, nitro<ren, 



and nitrogen a tritoxide of the same metal ; the theory of oxides of tha 

 chemistry would attain a happy simplicity, and the existing 

 arrangements would harmonize with all the new facts. The 

 class of pure inflammable bases would be metals capable of 

 alloying with each other, aud of combining with protoxides. 

 Some of the bases would be known only in combination, 

 those of sulphur, phosphorus*, and of the boracic, fluoric, 

 and muriatic acids; but the relations of their compounds 

 would lead to the suspicion of their being metallic. The 

 salifiable bases might be considered either as protoxides, 

 deutoxides, or tritoxides : and the general relations of sali- 

 fiable matter to acid matter might be supposed capable of 

 being ascertained by their relations to oxigen, or by the pe- 

 culiar state of their electrical energy. 



* The electrization of sulphur and phosphorus goes far to prove, that Sulphur and 

 they contain combined hidrogen. From the phenomena of the action of P''osphorus 



, ■ r ■ T • J . ,. appear to con- 



potJ^ssuim upon them m my first experiments I conceived, thai they con- ^ ■ hidrosen, 



tainpd oxigen ; though, as 1 have stated in the appendix to the last 

 Bakerian lecture, the effects may be explained on a different supposition. 

 The Tividness of the ignition in the process appeared an evidence in 

 favour of their containing oxigen, till I discovered, that similar phe« 

 nomenavrere produced by the combination of arsenic and tellurium with 

 potassium. In sorne late experiments on the action of potassium on 

 sulphur and phosphorus, and on sulphuretted hidrogen, and on phos- 

 phuretted hidrogen, I find that the phenomena differ very much accord- 

 ing to the citcumstances of the experiment; and in some instances I 

 have obtained a larger volume of gas from potassium, after it had been 

 exposed to the action of certain of these bodies, than it would have given 

 alone. These experiments are still in progress, and I shall soon lay an 

 account of rhem before the Society. The idea of the eyistence of oxigen 

 in sulphur and phosphorus is however still sup|)orted by various analo* 

 gies. Their bfing nonconducters of electricity is one argument in favour 

 of this. Potassium and sodium, I find, when heated in hidrogen, mixed . 



with a small quantity of atmospheric air, absorb both oxii^en and hidro- 

 gen, and become nonconducting inflammable bodies analogo-.is to resinous 

 and oily substances. 



The 



