THEORY OP THE AMIDETS. 
Besides, as that which we now regard as an amidet of po- 
tassium is changed by heat into a nitruret of potassium and 
ammonia, and as the nitruret itself is changed into ammonia 
and potassium by the action of water, it is proper to exa- 
mine whether these two facts can be explained. We have, 
in fact, — 
K 3 , N 3 H 6 = K 3 N + N 2 H 6 . 
K 3 , N + H 3 3 =K 3 3 +NH 3 . 
The first formula represents the action of heat upon the 
amidet of potassium; the second that of water on the nitruret, 
which thereby results. The first of these formulae shows 
how difficult it is to form the amidet, without producing 
some nitruret; and it explains to us the difference cited above, 
between the formulae and the experiments of MM. Gay Lus- 
sac and Thenard. 
It is possible that the substances, at present called chloride 
of nitrogen, iodide of nitrogen, &c, may be only chloride and 
iodide of amide, &c. 
The oxide of carbon may in its turn be considered as 
a radical, as I have proposed long since. On this sup- 
position, the chloroxi-carbonic acid will be a chloride of 
oxide of carbon, and carbonic and oxalic acid will be the 
oxides. 
The formulae of oxalic and carbonic acids may be written 
in the following form: 
Oxide of Carbon, CO, 
Oxalic Acid, 2C0 + 0. 
Carbonic Acid, CO + O. 
That of chloroxi-carbonic acid will be CO + C1. 
To return to oxamide and urea, we now can better understand 
their nature; for urea becomes analogous to chloroxi-carbonic 
acid, and oxamide to a combination C 2 2 + CI. In fact, the ac- 
tion of these different compounds on water produced identical 
results. 
VOL. VI. — NO, i. 7 
