102 REFUTATION OF THE SALT RADICAL THEORY, 
that sulphur, selenium, or tellurium, as well as oxygen, be- 
long to the halogen or salt radical class: — 
(c) The amphigen bodies being thus proved to belong to 
the halogen class, oxides, sulphides, selenides, and tellu- 
rides, would be haloid salts, and their compounds double 
salts, instead of consisting of a compound radical and a 
metal : — 
(d) The argument in favor of similarity of composition 
in the haloid and amphide salts, founded on a limited re- 
semblance of properties in some instances, is more than 
counterbalanced by an extreme dissimilitude in many 
others: — 
(e) As, in either class, almost every property may be 
found which is observed in any chemical compound, the 
existence of a similitude, in some cases, might be naturally 
expected : — 
(/) As it is evident that many salts, perfectly analogous 
in composition, are extremely dissimilar in properties, it is 
not reasonable to consider resemblance in properties, as a 
proof of analogy in composition:— 
(g) No line of distinction, as respects either properties or 
composition, can be drawn between the binary compounds 
of the . amphigen and halogen bodies, which justifies that 
separate classification which the doctrine requires; so that it 
must be untenable as respects the one, or be extended to the 
other: — 
(h) The great diversity, both as respects properties and 
composition of the bodies called salts, rendering it impos- 
sible to define the meaning of the word, any attempt to 
vary the language and theory of Chemistry, in reference to 
the idea of a salt, must be injudicious: — 
(i) There is at least as much mystery in the fact, that the 
addition of an atom of oxygen to an oxacid, should confer 
an affinity for a simple radical, as that the addition of an 
atom of oxygen to such a radical, should create an affinity 
between it and an oxacid: — 
