
BY DR. HARE. 105 
would lead the student to suppose that there is a peculiar 
association between capacity of saturation, and presence of ' 
hydrogen. 
AN EFFORT, &c. &c. 
1. Some of the most distinguished European chemists, 
encouraged by the number of instances in which the exist- 
ence of hypothetical radicals has been rendered probable, 
have lately inferred that such radicals are essential to the 
constitution of a most important class of bodies heretofore 
considered as compounds of acids and bases. It has been in- 
ferred, for instance, that sulphur, with four atoms of oxygen, 
(SO 4 ) constitutes a compound radical, which is analogous 
in habitudes and composition to cyanogen, performing in 
hydrous sulphuric acid, the same part as chlorine in chloro- 
hydric acid. 
2. Graham has proposed sulphatoxygen as a name for 
this radical, and sulphatoxide for any of its compounds. 
Daniell has proposed oxysulphion and oxysulphionide for 
the same purposes. As either nomenclature is evidently 
liable to the same objections, it will be sufficient to cite" the 
terms suggested by one of these authors in reasoning against 
their adoption. 
3. Consistently with the language suggested by Daniell, 
hydrous sulphuric acid, constituted of one atom of acid and 
one of basic water, (S0 3 + HO) is a compound of oxysul- 
phion and hydrogen (S0 4 + H.) Nitric acid (NO 5 4-HO) 
is a compound of oxynitrion and hydrogen (N0 6 + H.) In 
like manner we should have oxyphosphion in phosphoric 
acid, oxyarsenion in arsenic acid, and in all acids, hitherto 
called hydrated, whether organic or inorganic, we should 
have radicals designated by names made after the same 
plan. Their salts having corresponding appellations, would 
vol. IX. — NO. II. 10 
