sue 
without any regard to its qualities, or other 
accidents, in contradistinction to the noun 
termed adjective, or that which expresses a 
certain quality or accident of the noun sub- 
stantive. See Grammar. 
SUBTRACTION. See Arithmetic 
and Algebra. 
SUBTANGENT of a curve, in the higher 
geometry, is the line which determines the 
intersection of the tangent with the axis ; 
or that determines the point wherein the 
tangent cuts the axis prolonged. In any 
equation, if the value of the subtangent 
comes out positive, it is a sign that the 
points of intersection of the tangent and 
axis fall on that side of the ordinate where 
the vertex of the curve lies, as in the para- 
bola and paraboloids ; but if it comes out 
negative, tlie point of intersection will fall 
on the contrary side of the ordinate, in re- 
spect of the vertex, or beginning of the 
abscissa; as in the hyperbola and hyperbo- 
liform figures. And universally, in all para- 
boliforni and hyperboliforni, figures, the 
subtangent is equal to the exponent of the 
power of the ordinate, multiplied into the 
abscissa. See Tangent. 
SUBTENSE, in geometry, the same 
with the chord of an arch. Hence, the 
subtense of an angle is a right line supposed 
to be drawn between the two extremities of 
the arch that measures that angle. 
SUBTRIPLE Hatio is when one num- 
ber, or quantity, is contained in another 
three times ; thus, a is said to be subtriple 
of 6, as 6 is triple of 2. 
&UBULARIA, in botany, a genus of 
the Tetradynamia Siliculosa class and or- 
der. Natural order of Siliquosse or Cruci- 
formes. Cruciferm, Jussieu. Essential cha- 
racter : silicle entire, ovate ; valves ovate, 
concave, contrary to the partition; style 
shorter than the silicle. There is only one 
species, viz. S. aquatica, awl-wort, a native 
of the northern parts of Europe. 
SUCCESSOR, in law, is he who follows 
or comes in another’s place. An aggregate 
corporation, or body composed of many 
persons, may have a fee-simple estate iu 
succession, without tlie word successors; 
and take goods and chattels iu action or 
possession, and they shall go to the succes- 
sors. 
SUCCINATES. See Succinic acid. 
SUCCINIC Acid, in chemistry, obtained 
from the decomposition of amber, was for- 
merly called volatile salt of amber, and 
regarded as an alkaline salt. It was not 
VOL. VI. 
sue 
till towards the end of the seventeeth cen- 
tury, that its acid properties were disco- 
vered. See Amber. 
The name of the acid is derived from suc- 
cinum, the Latin name for amber. It may 
be obtained by the following process. In- 
troduce a quantity of amber, in powder, into 
a retort, and let it be covered with dry sand. 
Adapt a receiver, and distil with a mode- 
rate heat in a sand bath. There passes 
over first a liquid which is of a reddish co- 
lour, and afterwards a volatile acid salt, 
which crystallizes in small, white, or yel- 
lowish needles, in the neck of the retort,; and 
if the distillation be continued, a white light 
oil succeeds, which becomes brown, thick, 
and viscid. The acid which is obtained in 
this way is contaminated with the oil ; and 
therefote, to separate this oil, it may' be 
dissolved in hot water, and passed through 
a filter, on which has been placed a little 
cotton moistened with oil of amber, which 
retains the oil, and prevents it from passing 
through along with the acid. The acid may 
then be evaporated and crystallized. The 
crystals are four-sided, rhomboidal, plates, 
which, if pure, are white. Their taste is 
sour, and they redden an infusion of litmus. 
They are soluble in twenty-four parts of 
cold water, but in much less of hot. They 
are soluble also in alcohol. This acid is vo- 
latile and inflammable : its base is a com- 
pound of carbon and hydrogen. It com- 
bines with the alkalies, earths, and metal- 
lic oxides, forming therewith salts called 
succinates. Most of these crystallize, as 
the succinate of potash, soda, lime, &c. but 
the succinate of magnesia will not crystal- 
lize, but by evaporation forms a viscid 
mass. The metallic succinates are likewise 
soluble and crystallizable. 
SUCCULENTyE, in botany, the name 
of the thirteenth order in Linnmus’s Frag- 
ments of a Natural Method, consisting of 
flat, flesliy, succulent plants, of which the 
greater part is ever-green : among these 
are the cactus, Indian fig; sedura, lesser 
house-leek ; and the saxifrage. 
SUCTION, the act of sucking or draw- 
ing up a fluid, as air, water, milk, or the 
like, by means of the mouth and lungs. 
There are many effects vulgarly attributed 
to suction, which, in reality, have very dif- 
ferent causes. As when any one sucks 
water, or any other liquor, up through a 
pipe, it is commonly thought, that by that 
action the person draws the air up into his 
mouth, and that the water, which is con- 
T 
