202 Hiixjraphii of Berzelius. 



The first of these principles, established by Berthollet, viz., 

 that all chemical combinations are possible between a certain 

 maximum and minimum, and in indefinite proportions, was 

 immediately disputed by Proust, who endeavoured, by means 

 of many ingenious experiments, to shew that every chemical 

 combination took place in definite proportions, and that 

 between it and the nearest allied combination there was 

 a certain interval within which there was no intermediate 

 stage. 



Berthollet' s views were at that time apparently supported 

 by the numerous erroneous representations of the composi- 

 tion of the most important compounds. Likewise the ex- 

 periments which he made, or caused to be instituted, in order 

 to disprove the assertions of Proust were far from being ade- 

 quate. Proust's experiments were certainly in most cases 

 more correct, although not in such a degree as to place his 

 views beyond all doubt. 



However, sometime after the analogy in composition be- 

 tween the alkalies and metallic oxides was proved by Davy's 

 important discovery, the attention of Berzelius was also 

 drawn to the quantitative relations in which bodies com- 

 bined with each other. It was the chemical nature of am- 

 monia, which, in the first instance led him to enter upon this 

 gigantic investigation. After the discovery of oxygen in the 

 alkalies, the conjecture that all saline bases, and consequently 

 ammonia, contained this element, was not unnatural. This 

 view received a still greater probability by the discovery of 

 the ammoniacal amalgam. 



Berzelius now commenced a series of investigations for 

 the purpose of determining the quantity of oxygen in alkalies 

 and earths, by oxidising with water the basic metal in a 

 weighed quantity of the amalgams which he first learnt how 

 to prepare, then combining the oxide produced with hydro- 

 chloric acid, and in accordance with the then received views 

 of the composition of chlorides, found the quantity of acid in 

 the salt, and by the loss the quantity of oxygen in the base 

 itself. 



On subjecting ammonia to the same process he was not 

 able either to isolate the ammoniacal metal, or to combine it 



