136 
SELECTED ARTICLES. 
resemblance to the volatile oils. I shall call this body the hy- 
duret of salicyle, to express the intimate analogy which exists 
between it and the oil of bitter almonds, which, according to 
the excellent researches of M. Liebeg and Woehler, most che- 
mists agree to regard as a hyduret of a compound radical. We 
shall see that the hyduret of salicyle comports itself exactly 
in the same manner with a great number of bodies, and I have 
from this been led to consider its composition as analagous. 
Salicyle. 
It is by this name that I designate a body hitherto unknown 
in a free state, and which plays the part of a simple substance 
in its combination with different bodies. Like benzule, it 
forms very definite combinations with hydrogen, oxygen, chlo- 
rine, bromine, and likewise with the metals. 
The formula for salicyle is, C 28 H 10 O 4 , and its combi- 
nations are represented by one equivalent of salicyle united 
to one equivalent of another body. 
Benzule being composed of C28H 10 O 2 , it will be seen 
that these two substances do not differ, except in contain- 
ing different proportions of oxygen. Salicyle might be con- 
sidered as a deutoxide of benzule, or rather these two radicals, 
as different degrees of oxidation of a carburetted hydrogen, ha- 
ving the formula, C^H 10 . 
In fact, M. Dumas, some years since, put forth an hypothe- 
sis, according to which benzule and benzoic acid were to be 
regarded as oxides of an hypothetical carburet of hydrogen, 
which he called benzogen. Salicyle and salicylic acid would 
be two other oxides of benzogen. Benzogen, on this hypothe- 
sis, consequently forms four different combinations with oxy- 
gen; and in this respect, it agrees with the less known simple 
bodies. The following would be the series of these oxida- 
tions: 
C 28 H 10 -f O 2 , benzule. 
C 28 H 10 + 3 , anhydrous benzoic acids. 
C 28 H 10 + O 4 , salicyle. 
C 28 H 10 + O 5 , anhydrous salicylic acid. 
