454 



The author then proceeds to apply these principles to the analy- 

 sis of the oxalates; and 1st, of the oxalate of water, or hydrated 

 oxalic acid; 2ndly, of oxalate of zinc; 3rdly, of oxalate of magnesia; 

 4-thly, of oxalate of lime ; 5thly, of oxalate of barytes ; 6thly, of 

 oxalate of potash; 7thly, of binoxalate of potash; 8thly, of quad- 

 roxalate of potash; 9thly, of oxalate of ammonia; lOthly, of oxalate 

 of soda; llthly, of binoxalate of soda; and lastly, of the double 

 oxalates, such as, 1st, oxalate of potash and copper ; 2ndly, oxalate 

 of chromium and potash ; Srdly, oxalate of peroxide of iron and 

 potash ; and 4thly, of oxalate of peroxide of iron and soda. 



In the second section he treats of the nitrates; and 1st, of hy- 

 drated nitric acid, or the nitrate of water ; 2ndly, of nitrate of cop- 

 per ; 3rdly, of subnitrate of copper; 4thly, of nitrate and subnitrate 

 of bismuth ; 5thly, of nitrate of zinc; Gthly, of nitrate of magnesia; 

 and 7thly, of supposed double nitrates and supernitrates. He con- 

 cludes, from his experiments on this subject, that there is no proof 

 of the existence of a single supernitrate. 



In the third section he discusses the constitution of the phos- 

 phates. Phosphoric acid, he observes, is quite peculiar in being 

 capable of combining with bases in three different proportions; 

 forming, besides the usual class of monobasic salts, containing one 

 atom of acid to one atom of protoxide as base, two other anormal 

 classes of salts, in which two or three atoms of base are united to 

 one atom of acid, namely, the pyrophosphates and the common 

 phosphates, as they are usually denominated, but which the author 

 proposes to designate by the terms, bibasic, and tribasic phosphates. 

 Arsenic acid forms only one class of salts; but that class is anormal; 

 every member of it containing three atoms of base to one atom of 

 acid, like the common, or tribasic, phosphates. These anormal 

 classes of phosphates and arseniates, with, perhaps, the phosphites, 

 are, the author believes, the only known salts to which the ordinary 

 idea of a subsalt is truly applicable : all other reputed subsalts be- 

 ing probably neutral in composition, as has been shown by the au- 

 thor in the case of the subnitrate of copper ; for they all bear an 

 analogy to this salt in their small solubility and other properties, 

 while they exhibit little resemblance to those classes of phosphates 

 and arseniates which really possess more than one atom of base. A 

 table is then given, containing the formula? expressing the composi- 

 tion of the most important phosphates, together with a new nomen- 

 clature by which, in accordance with his views, the author proposes 

 to designate these salts. He then enters into the details of experi- 

 ments illustrating the composition of, 1st, tribasic phosphate of soda, 

 ammonia, and water, (or the microcosmic salt of the old chemists): 

 2ndly, tribasic phosphate of zinc and water, (or what is commonly 

 called phosphate of zinc): Srdly, tribasic arseniate of magnesia and 

 water, (the common arseniate of magnesia): 4thly, tribasic phosphate 

 of magnesia and water, (or ordinary phosphate of magnesia): and 

 5thly, tribasic phosphate of magnesia and ammonia, (or ammoniaco- 

 magnesian phosphate). 



In the fourth section he treats of sulphates, and supports, by fur- 



