35% 
the ammonia that had disappeared, and 
this he attributes to the presence of mois- 
ture. The permanent: gas produced 
equalled thirteen inches;and,bydetonation 
with oxygen, proved to consist of hydro- 
gen to nitrogen nearly in the proportion 
of two to one, and sodium was regene- 
rated. Whoever, says he, will consider 
with attention, the mere visible pheno- 
mena of the action of sodium on ammo- 
nia, cannot, I conceive, fail to be con- 
vinced that it is the volatile alkali, and 
not the metal, which is decompounded in - 
this process. 
As sodium does not act so violently 
upon oxygen as potassium, and as 
soda does not absorb water from the at- 
mosphere with nearly so much rapidity 
as potash, sodium can be introduced intd 
ammonia, much freer from moisture 
than potassium. Hence, when it is 
heated in ammonia, there is no efferves- 
cenee, or at least one scarcely percepti- 
ble. Its tint changes to bright azure, 
and from bright azure to olive green; it 
becomes quietly and silently converted 
into the fusible substance, which forms 
upon the surface, and then flows off into 
the tray. It emits no elastic fluid, and 
gains its new form evidently by combi- 
‘ning with one part of the elementary 
matter of ammonia, whilst another part 
is suffered to escape in the form of hy- 
drogen. 
In speaking of M. Curadeav’s theory, 
that the metals of the alkalies are com- 
posed of the alkalies merely united with 
charcoal, he says, that the investigation 
upon which this gentleman has founded 
his conclusions is easily accounted for, 
since it was evident he had been misled 
by the existence of charcoal, as an acci- 
dental constituent in the metals that he 
employed. M. Ritter’s argument in 
favour of potassium and sodium being 
- compounds of hydrogen, is their extreme 
lightness, an argument easily answered : 
sodium absorbs much more oxygen than 
potassium, and, on the hypothesis of hy- 
drogenation, must contain much more 
hydrogen ; yet though the soda is said to 
be lighter than potash in the proportion 
of 13 to 17, sodium is heavier than 
potassium in the proportion of 9 to 7. 
According to Mr. Davy’s own theory, 
this circumstance might be expected: 
- for potassium has a much stronger affinity 
for oxygen than sodium, and must con- 
dense it much more, and the resulting 
higher specific gravity of the combination, 
is a necessary consequence. M. Ritter 
has stated, that of all the metallic subs 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
fNov. id r 
stances he tried for producing potassium’ 
by negative voltaic electricity, tellurium 
was the only one by which he could not - 
procure it. And he states the very 
curious fact, that when a circuit of elec= 
tricity is completed in water, by means 
of two surfaces of tellurium, oxygen is 
given off at the positive surface, no hy- 
drogen at the negative surface, but 4 
brown powder, which he regards as a hy- 
druret of tellurium, is formed and sepa 
rates from it; and he conceives that the 
reason why telluriam prevents the me- 
tallization of potash is, that it has a 
stronger attraction’ for hydrogen than 
that alkali. : 
These circumstances of the action of 
telluriam upon water, are so different 
from those presented by the action of 
other metals, that they can hardly fail to 
arrest the attention of chemical enqui- 
rers. Mr. Davy made some experiments 
on the subject, and on the action of tel- 
lurium on potassium, and finds that, ins 
stead of proving that potassium is a coms 
pound of potash and hydrogen, they 
confirm the idea of its being as yet like 
other metals undecompounded. 
When tellurium is made the positive 
surface in water, oxygen is given off, 
when it is made the negative surface, 
the voltazic power being from a battery 
composed of a number of plates exceed- 
ing 300, a purple fluid is seen to separate 
from it, and diffuse itself through the 
water; the water gradually becomes 
opaque and turbid, and at last deposits 
a brown powder. The purple fluid is 
a solution of a compound of tellurium 
and hydrogen in water; which, in being 
diffused, is acted upon by the oxygen 
of the common air, dissolved im the 
water, and gradually loses a part of its 
hydrogen, and becomes a solid hydra. 
ret of tellurium. The compound of hy- 
drogen and tellurium produced at the 
negative pole, when uncombined, is ga- 
seous at common temperatures; and 
when muriatic acid, or sulpharie acid,. 
are present in the water, it is not dissolved, 
but is given off, and may be collected 
and examined. From a variety of other 
facts stated with much clearness, and car= 
rying with them incontestable evidence, 
the professor adds: “ After these illus- ” 
trations, I trust the former opinions which 
I ventured to bring forward, concerning 
the metals of the fixed alkalies, will be 
considered as accurate, and’ that potas- 
sium and sodium can with no more pros» 
priety be considered as compounds, than 
any of the commen metallig substances 5 
A wpakt 
