SOD 



SOD 



f'S H 7'5 X 2 = 20. y. Sir Humphrey's atom, which is 

 80i is nearly a multiple of this number. 



Carbonate of Soda. — This is the fait known by the name 

 of fal foda. It exifts ready formed in barilla and kelp, and 

 is eafily obtained by folution and evaporation, allowing it 

 to cryllallixe flowly. It cryftallizes in flat rhombciidal 

 prifms. It is foluble in two parts of cold water, and in 

 lefs than its own weight of boiling water. Like the ful- 

 phate of foda, it efflorefces in the air, and aflumes the form 

 of white powder. 



When heated, it melts in its own water of cryftalli/ation. 

 This foon efcapes ; and if the heat be raifcd, one half of 

 the carbonic acid probably efcapes. 



According to Bergman, its compofition is, 



Soda 

 Acid 

 Water 



According to Klaproth, it contains. 



Soda . . . . 

 Acid . . . . 

 Water . . - . 



According to Kiruan, in cryllals. 



Soda 

 Acid 

 Water 



In the dry fla'e, 



Soda 

 Acid 



20 



\G 

 64 



22 

 16 

 62 



21. 5R 

 14.42 

 64 



59.86 

 40.14. 



This fait is compofed of 2 atoms of acid, 

 and 20 of water ; or 41 acid, 59 foda, and 

 This, in 100, will be, 



Soda ... 21.8 



Acid ... 1^.2 



Water ... 63 



I of foda, 

 170 water. 



This fait, although called a carbonate, is evidently a bi- 

 carbonate of foda ; and the fait, which rcfnlts from heating 

 this, mult be confidered a carbonate. 



There is another compound, with a (till greater propor- 

 tion of carbonic acid, which is either a tncarbonate or a 

 tetracarbonate of foda. 



Arfemate of Soda. — This is a fatt little known, but be- 

 lieved to have the general properties of arfeniate of potafli. 

 See that fait under Salts. 



Acetate of Soda. — This fait may be formed by faturating 

 carbonate of loda with acetic acid. It cryilallizes in prifms 

 refembling fulphate of foda. It is foluble in about three 

 parts of water at 60°. It docs not cryltallize but with 

 excefs of alkali. 



The other falts of foda are too little known to be im- 

 portant. 



SODMERE Point, in Geography, a cape on the S. coalt 

 of the Ifle of Wight. N. lat. 50° 38'. W. long. 1° 16'. 



SODOM, in Ancient Geography, the chief city of the 

 Pentapolis, which comprehended the five cities called So- 

 dom, Gomorrah, Zeboim, Admah, and Zoar or Segor. 

 The four former were deftroyed on account of their wicked- 

 nefs by fire from heaven, A.M. 2107 or B.C. 1897 ; but 

 the latter, though fentenced to the fame fate, was fpared at 

 the interceflion of Lot. Sodom had been his dwelling-place, 

 and the plain on which Sodom and the other cities Itood was 

 plealant and fruitful, like an earthly paradife, but after their 

 deltruction it was overflowed by the waters of the river 

 Jordan, which thus formed the " Dead fea," or " lake of 

 Sodom," or the " Asi'HALTiTEZa;tc," which fee. A French 

 geographer, letting afide the miraculous part of this event, 

 afcribes it to a volcanic eruption, and he conceives the lake 

 to have been the crater of the volcano ; but it is fufficient 

 to obferve that this opinion contradifts the hillorical narra- 

 tion of this event. 



In the time of Jofephus the ruins of thefe cities were ftill 

 in being. Strabo (Geog. 1. xv.) alfo fpeaks of the ruins of 

 Sodom, which were 60 furlongs in compafs, and were vifible 

 on the fhore of the Dead fea. The " Notitia" exprefsly 

 mentions Sodom as an cpifcopal city : and we find one Se- 

 verus, a bilhop of Sodom, among the bifhops of Arabia 

 who fubfcribed to the firft council of Nice. Reland, how- 

 ever, cannot allow that Sodom was ever rebuilt, and he 

 thinks that the word Sodom, among the fubfcriptions to the 

 council of Nice, to have been an error of the copiers. 

 Calmet is of a different opinion. The record, he fays, is 

 very circumilantial : it puts the epifcopal city of Sodom be- 

 tween Thamar and En-geddi. Stephanus, the geographer, 

 places En-geddi near Sodom. Hence Calmet concludes, 

 that the city of Sodom was rebuilt, either in or near its 

 former fituation ; for though it appears probable that it 

 was not covered by the waters of the Dead fea, and that it 

 ftood on the ihore of this fea, yet, fays Calmet, " I would 

 not ftrenuoufly oppofe the contrary opinion." 



SODOMY, the unnatural crime of buggery ; thus called 

 from the city of Sodom, which was deitroyed by fire for 

 the fame. This is ufually, and very juiUy, denominated the 

 " crime againll nature," when committed with man or beaft: 

 — a crime, which ought to be ftrittly and impartially proved, 

 and then as Itriftly and impartially punifhed. The delicacy 

 of our Englilh law treats it, in its very indiftraents, as a 

 crime not fit to be named ; " peccatum illud horribile, inter 

 Chriftianos non nominandum." The edift of Conllantius 

 and Conilantine obfervcs a fimilar taciturnity ; " ubi fcelus 

 clt id, quod non proficit fcire, jubcmus infurgere leges, ar- 

 mari jura gladio ultore, ut cxquifitis poonis fubdentur in- 

 famcs, qwi funt, vel qui futuri lunt rei." 



The Lcvitical laws adjudged tiiofe guilty of this execrable 

 evil to death, Lev. xviii. 22, 23. xx. 15, 16; and the civil 

 law afligns the fame punifliment to it. Our ancient law 

 commanded fuch mifcreants to be burnt to death (Brit. c. 9.), 

 though Fleta fays (1. i. c. 37.) they fliould be buried alive ; 

 either of which puniflnncnts was iiidilferently ufed for this 

 crime among the ancient (ioths. At prefent our laws make 

 it felony. (25 Hen. VI U. c. 6. jEliz. c. 17.) And the 

 rule of the law is, that if both arc arrived at years of dif- 

 cretion, " agentes et confenticntes pari poena pleiftantur." 



3 I"'t- 59- . 



SODRA Bakkkk, in Geography, a town of Sweden, in 

 Dalecarlia ; 40 miles S. of Eahliin. 



SODRES, in Ancient Geography, a people of India, in 

 the number of thole who were lubdued by Alexander, ac- 

 cording to (^uinlub Curtius, 1. viii. 



9 SODU- 



