CHEMISTRY, 
395 
«ing the next fyllable, is added tothe firft. In this manner 
As. diftinguifhes arfenicnm from A argentum. M. with 
an annexed L. diftinguifhes molybdena from Mi mag- 
neiium ; and St. expreffes ftibium, or antimony, to dif- 
tiuguift] it from ftannum, or tin, denoted by S. infcribed 
in the circle; and platina is Signified by P. with the pro¬ 
minent top of T, in contradiction to the Simple P. by 
which plumbum, lead, is marked. 
Fifth Genus.— Acidifiable Subfiances, which are juftly 
fuppoied to be formed of feveral principles, and whole 
decompofition is at prefent forefeen. Thefe are denoted 
by the fquare in its horizontal pofitkm. The initial of 
the Latin name of each is inicribed in the fquare, ad¬ 
ding the firft confonant of the next f'yliable, to diltin- 
guilh any one from another of the fame initial letter. 
Thus the benzoic, formic, faccholaCtic radicals, are dif- 
tinguilhed by Bz. Fm. SI. from the boracic, fluoric, fuc- 
cinic, to fignify which B. F. S. areinicribed in the fquare. 
Sixth Genus.— Compound Subfiances, with (be Confii- 
tuent Principles of 'which we are as yet unacquainted. 
To thefe the fquare, with its angle upwards, has been 
appropriated. The difference between each is again de¬ 
noted, as in the preceding zd, 4th, and 5th, genera, by 
infcribing the firft letters of their Latin names, and ad¬ 
ding, when neceffary, one or two of the confonants next 
in order. Thefe distinctions are all clearly exprefled in 
the firft five of the following tables, which have been 
projected by thefe able chemifts. 
As to the fecond part of the problem, the firft law is, 
to join the primitive characters of the Ample fubftances, 
&c. by two and two, three and three, four and four, &c. 
according as the compound fubftance confifts of z, 3,4, 
&c. different principles; and the fecond. law is, todiver- 
fify the pofltion of thole characters in fuch a.manner, 
that the different'proportions in which the Ample, or at 
leaft lefs compound fubftances are chemically combined, 
may he fufficiently and diitinCtly indicated. Now the 
primitive characters may have eight different pofitions. 
Two horizontal, two vertical, two obiique to the right, 
and two oblique to the left. For inftance, the fquare 
may be placed horizdntally on the right or on the- left 
fide of the circle; or vertically, above or underneath it; 
or obliquely to-its right or left, and in both cafes either 
the circle or the fquare uppermoft.—The four oblique 
pofitions have been rejected, to avoid confufion when 
not Well.written; and as it is of little importance which 
of two characters is placed to the right or to the left of 
the other, only one horizontal pofltion has been adopted, 
in general, for binary combinations. 
With refpeCt to the fecond law, two characters are 
placed upon the fame horizontal line, to indicate that 
the faturation is reciprocal, and that there is an equality 
in the proportions of the conftituent parts of the com¬ 
pound fubftance reprefented —However, if a triple or 
any multiple combination is to be lignified, the character 
of any fubfhmce may be farther advanced to the left- 
hand, in proportion as it has a lefs affinity than the 
others with that denoted by the character placed on the 
right. But, in the vertical pofltion, the character which 
is the inferior, indicates the fubftance denoted by it is in 
excefs of proportion to the other.—Thus, the proportions 
of fulphur and potalh in the alkaline fulphure are diftin- 
guiftied in three different- ways :—their equality of pro¬ 
portion by the pofltion of their refpeCtive characters next 
to each other, on the fame horizontal line; and the ex¬ 
cefs of fulphur, or that of alkali, by placing the fign of 
fulphur, or that of the potalh, undermoft in the vertical 
junction of tlieir figns. 
From thefe general rules* fome exceptions are to be 
made. i°. Caloric is always combined in fome degree 
with every fubftance. Hence, to avoid the too frequent 
repetition of its character or fymbol, it is omitted when¬ 
ever the body reprefented is confidered in the l'olid Itate, as 
zink; but it is added, either above or below the charac¬ 
ter of zink, to denote this metal in the liquid or elaltic 
s 
ftate; that is to fay, in the ftate of fufion or fublimation, 
Water and aqueous vapour afford another example. 
z°. Oxygen makes another exception; for its different 
proportions produce properties in the compound fo re¬ 
markable as to require that they Ihould not be miftaken: 
It produces, ift. oxyds, as oxyd of fulphur; zdly. acids, 
where the bafe predominates, as fulphureous acid ; qdly. 
acids in reciprocal faturation of the two fubftances com¬ 
bined, as fulphuric acid; and, 4thly.by combining with 
an acid, vvhofe two principles are already faturated, the 
oxygen produces a combination diverted of the charac- 
teriitic properties of acids; though its retention is then 
fo inconfiderable as to be fet at liberty, and to regain the 
elaltic.ftate by a few rays of light. This lalt ftate of its 
combination is well known only in the oxygenated mu¬ 
riatic acid ; and, to denote it, the GharaCter of oxygen is 
placed under the character of 1 the acidifiable bafe, and de¬ 
tached from it. The combination of azot and oxygen 
likewife feems to produce thefe four fpecies of com¬ 
pounds. Hence gafeous oZyd of azot, nitrous and ni¬ 
tric acid, and the fort of nitric acid which Monge fays 
he has obtained, and which appears to he oxygenated 
nitric acid. The character of oxygen, therefore, has 
four pofitions: at the top of the character joined with 
it, on its right fide towards the middle; underneath it, 
and joined; and, laftly, underneath it, and feparated. 
The characters formed by thefe laws from the primi¬ 
tive figns, as relating to Ample fubftances, &c. offer fix 
general Ample characters: the line, the triingle, the fe- 
micircle, the circle, the fquare placed horizontally, and 
the fquare placed with one of its angles upwards. The 
firft five, with the infcribed initial letters of the Latin 
names of the known metals, earths, See. then known (at 
prefent increafed to 63), have afforded to Adet and-Haf- 
lenfratz fifty-four particular characters; which, com¬ 
bined two and two, form—--=143 1 figns for fo many 
z 
binary combinations. ' But as there can be exprefled 
three Hates of combination, befides that oxygen is capa¬ 
ble of four, the fame number 1431, multiplied by three, 
will give 4293 different figns, to denote fomany different 
compound fubftances. 
On arguing farther upon the fame principles, if two 
characters can have three different pofitions, the union 
of three will afford thirteen. 
Hence the above fifty-four fymbols, combined by 
three and three, produce-?- — -— =24804, which, 
z X 3 
multiplied by thirteen, gives 321454 different ternary 
combinations of charaCtersj capable of fignifying fo many 
fubftances, compounded of three principles; and, with¬ 
out calculating farther the-number of fymbols arifing 
from the union of four, five, and more, of thefe fifty-four 
characters, the above Ihews that we have a fuflicient 
number of characters to denote all fubftances hitherto 
known, or whole diicovery may be expeCted. 
Hence, then, it mud be confeffed, that the invention of. 
thefe characters is extremely ingenious, and promifes to 
be of no lefs general utility. They are of confiderable 
advantage in making out Tables of At tractions in a fmall 
compafs; and alfo in the Tables of Com pofitions, wherein 
one fubftance, whether Ample or compound, being plated 
at the head, and the other on the left-hand fide, the point 
or angle where the tw'o columns concur, which bear thefe 
two figns, 01 characters, willfhew the compound, like the 
produCt in the Pythagorean tables for multiplication. 
The whole of w'hat has been here Hated, may be fuffi¬ 
ciently underltood by an attentive inveftigation of the 
firlt fi-zie of the following tables, as projected by Halfen- 
fratz. and Adet. Thefixth table contains the chemical 
figns which occur in the writings of Bergman; and it 
was though fit to add finally the ancient figns and cha¬ 
racters, that the reader may be at no lofs in reading either 
the ancient or modern authors on chemiftry. 
TABLE 
