i7 
Mr. Davy's Experiments , &c. 
bodies according to the present state of our knowledge, as 
undecompounded, and potash and soda as metallic oxides, 
capable of being decomposed and recomposed, like other 
bodies of this class, and with similar phaenomena. 
Since that time, various repetitions of the most obvious of 
the experiments on this subject, have been made in different 
parts of Europe. The generality of enlightened chemists, 
have expressed themselves satisfied both with the experi- 
ments, and the conclusions drawn from them : but as usually 
happens in a state of activity in science, and when the objects 
of enquiry are new, and removed from the common order of 
facts, some enquirers have given hypothetical explanations of 
the phenomena, different from those I adopted. 
MM. Gay Lussac and Thenard, as I have mentioned on 
a former occasion, suppose potassium and sodium to be com- 
pounds of potash and soda, with hydrogene ; a similar 
opinion seems to be entertained by M. Ritter. M. Cura- 
dau* affects to consider them as combinations of charcoal, 
or of charcoal and hydrogene, with the alkalies ; and an En- 
quirer -f in our own country, regards them as composed of 
oxygene and hydrogene. 
I shall examine such of those notions only, as have been 
connected with experiments, and I shall not occupy the time 
of the Society with any criticisms on matters of mere specu- 
lation. 
In my two last communications, I have given an account of 
various experiments on the action of potassium upon ammonia, 
the process from which MM. Gay Lussac and Thenard, 
derive their inferences. At the time that these papers were 
* Journal de Physique June, 1808. + Nicholson’s Journal. August, 1809. p. 258. 
MDCCCX. D 
