206 
REFUTATION OF THE SALT RADICAL THEORY, 
with barium, and yet display, subsequently, a vastly superior 
affinity for barium? 
61. It seems to be overlooked, that anhydrous sulphuric 
acid, being the oxysulphion of the sulphites, ought to form 
sulphites on contact with metals. 
62. But if the sulphate of water owe its energy to that 
portion of this liquid, which, by its decomposition gives 
rise to the compound radical oxysulphion, and not to the 
portion which operates as a solvent, wherefore in the con- 
centrated state, will it not react with iron and zinc, without 
additional water, when, with dilution, it reacts most power- 
fully with those metals. 
63. Some stress has been laid upon the fact, that sourness 
is not perceived, excepting with the aid of water, as if to 
derive force for the new doctrine from that old and popular, 
though now abandoned test of acidity; but it should be re- 
collected that it is not the water which goes to form the 
compound element in the " hydr acids " erroneously so 
called, which confers sourness. Will any one pretend that 
either sulphuric or nitric acid, when concentrated, is sour? 
Are they not caustic? Can any of the crystallized organic 
acids be said to have a sour taste, independently of the 
moisture of the tongue? The hydrated oily acids being in- 
capable of uniting with water as a solvent, have none of 
these vulgar attributes of acidity. The absence of these 
attributes in prussic acid would alone be sufficient to render 
it inconsistent to consider them as having any connexion 
with the presence of hydrogen. 
64. It has been remarked, that liquid carbonic acid does 
not combine with oxides on contact. To this I would add, 
that it does not combine with water under those circum- 
stances, but, on the contrary, separates from it like oil. after 
mechanical mixture: nor does it, under any circumstances, 
unite with an equivalent proportion of water to form a hy- 
drate. Of course, as it is not to basic water that it is in- 
debted for its ability to become an ingredient in salts, it 
