BY DR. HARE. 
107 
dient. Agreeably to the nomenclature of Berzelius, the 
former would be a compound halogen body. Cyanogen, 
being analogous, is by him placed in the halogen class. I 
shall, therefore, in speaking oi"salt radicals " improperly 
so called, employ the appellation contrived by the great 
Swedish chemist. 
5. It seems to be conceded, that however plausible may 
be the reasons for inferring the existence of halogen bodies 
in the amphide salts, it would be inexpedient to make a 
corresponding change in nomenclature, on account of the 
great inconvenience which must arise from the consequent 
change of names. Under these circumstances, it may be 
well to consider how far there is any necessity for adopting 
hypothetical views, to which it would be so disadvantageous 
to accommodate the received language of chemists. In the 
strictures on the Berzelian nomenclature, which drew from 
Berzelius the suggestions contained in the quotation at the 
foot of the preceding page, I stated it to be my impression 
that water should be considered as acting in some cases as 
an oxybase, in others as an oxacid; and, in my examination 
of his reply,* I observed that hydrous sulphuric acid 
might be considered as a sulphate of hydrogen, and that 
when this acid reacts with zinc or iron, the proneness of 
hydrogen to the aeriform state enables either metal to 
take its place, agreeably to the established laws of 
a ffinity. 
6. There appears to have been a coincidence of opinion 
between Kane, Graham, Gregory, and myself, as respects 
the electro-positive relation of hydrogen to the amphigen 
and halogen elements, which I have designated collectively 
as the basacigen class; also in the impression that hydrogen 
acts like a metallic radical, its oxide, water, performing the 
part of a base. I agree perfectly with Gregory in consider- 
ing that hydrated acids maybe considered as "hydrogen 
♦Silliman's Journal, Vol. 27, for 1835,. page 61, 
