SIMPLE SUBSTANCES IN CHEMISTRY EXPLAINED. 687 
. . Sefstrom and Berzelius, in Sweden 
. . Klaproth, at Berlin 
r Scheele, in Sweden 
• * I Reduced to the metallic state by Hielm 
. . MM. D’ Elhuyarts, in Spain 
f Oxide discovered by Hatchett, in England ; 
. . Ekeberg, in Sweden 
|_ Reduced by Berzelius 
Vauquelin, in France . . 
Known from time immemorial 
Gahn, in Sweden 
Bergman, in Sweden 
Brandt, in Sweden 
Henckel mentions its reduction in 
Stromeyer in Germany . . 
Known from time immemorial. 
Do. 
Do. 
Mentioned by Geo. Agricola 
Known from time immemorial. 
Do. 
.... Do. 
Charles Wood, Assay-master in Jamaica . . 
Dr. Wollaston, in England , . 
. . The same 
“ * ’ I Tenant, in England . . 
. . 1830 
.. 1789 
.. 1778 
.. .. 1782 
.. 1781 
and by 1 1801 
1824 
.. 1796 
.. 1774 
.. .. 1775 
.. 1733 
. 1721 
.. 1817 
about 1530 
1741 
1803 
1804 
1803 
31 Vanadium . . 
32 Uranium . . 
33 Molybdenum 
34 Tungsten .. 
35 Columbium 
36 Titanium .. 
37 Iron 
38 Manganese . . . . 
39 Nickel 
40 Cobalt . . 
41 Zinc 
42 Cadmium 
43 Lead 
44 Tin. 
45 Copper 
46 Bismuth . . 
47 Mercury . , 
48 Silver 
49 Gold 
50 Platina 
51 Palladium 
52 Rhodium ., 
53 Iridium 
54 Osmium 
As some of these elementary bodies 
enter into the composition of a vast variety 
of substances of common occurrence, and 
as it is impossible intelligibly to describe 
chemical phenomena without the frequent 
mention of them, or allusion to their proper- 
ties and modes of action, some short notices 
of them may here be advantageously intro- 
duced, previously to a review of the laws of 
chemical affinity, and a more extensive de- 
scription of the simple bodies in general, and 
of the most important compounds arising 
from their relative action upon each other. 
We shall thus avoid the necessity of repeat- 
ed explanations of the nature of these bodies 
each time they are mentioned, or the still 
greater inconvenience of referring to the 
properties and effects of substances with 
which the reader may be supposed to be 
unacquainted. 
Among the thirteen non-metallic ele- 
ments there are some which at all com- 
mon temperatures exist only in the gaseous 
state, while the others at moderately low 
temperatures are solids. The first and most 
important of the elementary bodies is that 
called Oxygen, from two Greek words, 
denoting the power of producing acids, be- 
cause it was formerly thought to be the uni- 
versal acidifying principle, though it is now 
known that there are many acids in which 
oxygen is not contained. One of the grand 
characteristic properties of this gaseous ele- 
ment is that of being a most powerful sup- 
porter of combustion, so that most inflam. 
mable bodies burn in it rapidly and brilli- 
antly. Its more peculiar properties will be 
subsequently described ; and we shall only 
add here that it unites with all other ele- 
mentary substances (except possibly fluorine), 
and with many of them in various propor- 
tions. 
Nitrogen of Azote, is also a gase- 
ous body, the mixture of which with oxygen 
in certain proportions constitutes atmosphe- 
ric or common air. The name azote, de- 
rived from the Greek, implies its being 
improper for the purpose of respiration, as 
animals confined in this gas soon die. It 
is therefore owing to the oxygen contained 
in atmospheric air that it is capable of sup- 
porting animal life, for none of the higher 
classes of animals can exist long in any 
kind of air which does not contain oxygen. 
The term Nitrogen has been applied 
to the gas now under notice, in conse- 
quence of its being found to be a constituent 
part of nitric acid, or as it is vulgarly called, 
aqua fortis, which is a chemical compound 
containing a very large proportion of oxygen 
united to the nitrogen. There are also 
other compounds of oxygen with nitrogen, 
among which may be mentioned that some- 
times called nitrous oxide, and which, 
though it contains more oxygen than 
atmospheric air, may yet be breathed for a 
time with safety ; but it produces very re- 
markable effects when thus used, generally 
occasioning a state of excitement somewhat 
similar to that caused by drinking wine or 
