Biography of Berzelius. 9 



retted metal was obtained. This which Vauquelin was only 

 able to put forward conjecturally, and could not demonstrate 

 by convincing proofs, was immediately proved most satisfac- 

 torily by Berzelius through his successful reduction of sul- 

 phate of potash by means of hydrogen or the vapour of the 

 sulphuret of carbon. He thus obtained sulphuret of potas- 

 sium in which there could not be any oxygen. By treating 

 anhydrous lime with sulphuretted hydrogen at a high tem- 

 perature, Berzelius likewise obtained water and sulphuret of 

 calcium. This experiment rendered it obvious that when 

 liver of sulphur is obtained by melting together sulphur and 

 carbonate of potash, the solution in water contains sulphuric 

 acid, which is not, as Berthollet conjectured, first formed by 

 the decomposition of water, but is a joint product with the 

 liver of sulphur of the reduction of the alkali. Berzelius 

 found, moreover, that the alkaline metals combine in several 

 definite proportions with sulphur forming substances which 

 are all soluble in water. Thus arose the question : What is 

 contained in such a solution ? — a question, the answer to 

 "which is especially important when regarded in connection 

 with the solutions of metallic chlorides. Is this liquid a solu- 

 tion of the unaltered sulphuret in water, or is the alkaline 

 metal oxidized, and, consequently, a compound of sulphuret- 

 ted hydrogen with alkali formed, or a compound of sulphu- 

 retted hydrogen, sulphur, and alkali \ Since, in the last 

 case, it would be necessary to assume as many compounds of 

 sulphur with hydrogen as there are compounds of sulphur with 

 the alkaline metals, Berzelius decided in favour of the second 

 view. Subsequent investigations of the solution of sulphur 

 compounds of the metals of alkaline earths in water, have, 

 in fact, shewn that a decomposition of water really does take 

 place in this case, and that a compound of metallic sulphuret 

 with sulphuretted hydrogen and alkaline oxide is formed. 



Berzelius regarded these investigations as proving that sul- 

 phur compounds exist which are very analogous to the mu- 

 riates, and that there might likewise be bodies which, with- 

 out containing an acid and an oxygenous base, possess, like 

 the chlorides, all the peculiar characters of salts ; and, con- 

 sequently, if this were so, all that evidence against the new 



