660 
CHEMISTRY AND MATHEMATICS. 
Name. 
Atomic 
wt. of 
carbon. 
Specific 
By calcu- 
lation. 
Gravity 
By experi 
ment. 
Authority and result. 
Carbonic oxide. 
12 
.9721 
.9732 
Thenard and Berzelius, mean; 1st 
12| . 
.9895 
*0011 defect, 2ad '0163 excess. 
Carbonic acid .. . 
12 
1.5277 
1.5213 
Thenard and Gay Lussac, mean; 1st 
12| 
1.5451 
•0064 excess, 2nd *0238 excess. 
Light carburetted 
12 
.5555 
.5590 
Thomson; 1st '0035 defect, 2nd *0138 
hydrogen . . . . 
I2i 
.5728 
excess. 
Alcohol 
12 
1.5972 
1.6133 
Gay Lussac; 1st *0161 defect, 2nd 
12f 
1.6319 
•0l86 excess. 
Etherine 
12 
1.9444 
1.9100 
Faraday; 1st *0344 excess, 2nd -0691 
12f 
1.9791 
excess. 
Ether. 
12 
2.5694 
2.5830 
Gay Lussac and Depretz, mean ; 1st 
12i 
2.6388 
•0l36 defect, 2nd *0558 excess. 
Naphtha 
12 
2.8472 
2.8330 
Saussure; 1st -0142 excess, 2nd *0063 
12f 
<2 8993 
excess. 
Naphthaline. . . . 
12 
4.4444 
4.5280 
Dumas ; 1st -0836 defect, 2nd '0032 
12i 
4.5312 
excess. 
Paranaphthal. . . 
12 
6.6666 
6.7410 
Dumas; 1st *0074 defect, 2nd ’iseo 
12| 
6.9270 
excess. 
Camphene . . 
12 
4.7222 
4.7670 
Dumas; 1st *0348 defect, 2nd .0420 
I2i 
4.8090 
excess. 
In ail these ten substances, if 12| be taken 
for the atomic weight of carbon, the calcu- 
lated specific gravity exceeds that found by 
experiment. In three of them it is so even 
when 12 is taken, and in the rest delect is very 
much less than the excess, except in naph- 
thaline, which shews that 12 is much 
nearer the true atomic weight of carbon than 
12i’ 
Prop. 1. To determine the general effect 
of one, two, or more tenacious atoms placed 
in a vessel, in which ethereal atoms ate com- 
pressed hy a given force, so that of any two 
contiguous atoms, the centre of one is within 
the sphere of repulsion of the other ; the 
tenacious atoms being separated by interven- 
ing ethereal matter. 
Let the ethereal matter be compressed in a 
spherical vessel RTN ('see plate IX. fig. 1) as 
by a given force on the piston T, and let c, a 
tenacious atom, beintroduced. Now, for a mo- 
ment,suppose the attraction of this atom not to 
act ; on this supposition, the ethereal matter 
will continue to be uniformly diffused through 
the vessel, quite to the suiface of the sphere 
of repulsion h k, within which the centres of 
the contiguous atoms are supported against 
the given pressure: let now the attraction of 
this atom have its full and proper effect ; evi- 
dently the surrounded ethereal matter will be 
attracted towards it ( 1st prin.), and condensed 
on thesurface of repulsion h k, and the change 
of terision in the neighbouring parts of the ves- 
sel will be quickly restored to its former state 
by the given pressure aiT : hence, an atmos- 
• I have shewn from considerations con- 
nected with its specific heat, that the atomic 
weight of carbon must be ■ 75 or 19* and cannot 
be 'Tei. — ecord#, vol. it. 38. — Edit. 
phere of ethereal matter, diminishing in den- 
sity from thesurface outward, will be accumu- 
lated, and retained on that suiface, more or less 
dense, as the absolute force of the atom is 
greater or less, or the radius of its sphere of 
repulsion is less or greater. 
When there are several sorts of ethereal 
matter in the vessel, those sorts which have 
the greatest absolute force, or the least sphere 
of repulsion, will occupy the lower strata of 
the atmosphere ; because, whenever the equili- 
brium is disturbed, such atoms will be most 
easily moved among the rest, by the action of 
c ; hence, electric atoms, if present, will form 
the lowest stratum. 
When there are several tenacious atoms in 
the vessel, each will similarly retain an at- 
mospherule on its surface. 
Next, let there be two tenacious atoms, 
a and 6, in the vessel, and let their forces on 
an ethereal atom at g be each resolved, into 
two, one in R N, passing through their cen- 
tres, the other in g d, perpendicular to R N. 
When d is between a and />, the forces in R 
N. oppose each other, and act hy their differ- 
ence; but in other cases by their sum; again, 
the forces in g d. always act according to their 
sum ; and, as these forces are supported by 
equal forces on the opposite side, the constant 
effect is to condense ethereal matter on the 
line R N, where the most powerful ethereal 
atoms, and especially the electric atoms, will 
be chiefly collected, for the reasons assigned 
above. 
Hence, there will be an atom, as s, in a. b, 
undisturbed in the middle, w'hen a b, are equal, 
in other cases, nearer to the less powerful 
atoms : and the atoms condensed in the line 
a 6 will be equally pressed and suppoited or 
all sides by the contiguous atoms. 
