J. M. Ordway on Sesquisalts. 209 
But we can make pure soluble basic compounds in the way of 
precipitation and substitution. The normal sulphate treated cold 
with carbonate of baryta in excess, parts with two-thirds of its 
acid ; and by decomposing this basic sulphate with a baryta salt, 
we may get a soluble tribasic nitrate, acetate, or chlorhydrate of 
uranium. These are of a somewhat deeper color than the normal 
solutions. The tribasic sulphate may be boiled without change, 
and after evaporation to see it redissolves completely in 
water. 
The singularity of uranic oxyd then, is far from being accounted 
for by the uranyl theory, as this only gets rid of a strange ses- 
quioxyd, by dubatitasitig a more anomalous protoxyd. For here 
it remarked—as in the case of glucina—that €, 8, &; 01. B, 
€ not unparalleled among sesquisalts, but 3§.0.+N0; and 
€.01+ 280 cannot be matched with any known protosalts. 
Some have cited the precipitation of metallic silver from the 
nitrate by protoxyd of uranium, as confirmative of the theory. 
But if this proves anything, it proves too much, for as protoxyd 
of iron also precipitates metallic silver, we should have to admit 
the existence of ferryl, and probably, too, of chromyl and stanny/. 
_ Though there are such compounds as Sn. Cl. H., and Fe + 2Fe2 
Gls, and Feo + Fes Cls, the occurrence of bibasic and tribasic ni- 
trates, shows the impropriety of writing the formulas as Sn.0. Cl, 
—Fe20.Clo—Fe2 02 Cl, And why chlorhydric acid does not change 
sesquioxyd of uranium to sesquichlorid, is not made manifest by 
giving such a formula as 
U202 Cl, : 
However convenient it might be, for some me Py to have 
all the bases reduced to protoxyds—by compounding atoms as 
U2 020, or by dividing atoms as Fe}0.—the great difference in 
chemical relations, between the protoxyds and the higher oxyds, 
Seems to be a grand obstacle in the ie A : 
completely answering the purpose 
: uld it not be well to drop uranyl 
works, until there pie? sagt siete rt 
existence, or ti esi of some servi : 
, or till the hypothesis penne a ed ead oak 
norganic chemistry is more fully 3 
2 
5 
