258 
ON AQUA REGIA. 
butable to its sparing degree of stableness. This property- 
is one of the causes owing to which the acid in question is 
devoid of the principal character of acids. It has, there- 
fore, no other function than that of oxidating ; as it cannot 
combine with chlorine, whatever be the circumstances 
under which these two bodies are brought together ; be it in 
a nascent state in the presence or absence of water, at a 
moderate or low temperature, and even in the presence of 
a powerful base,* chlorine will invariably be disengaged as 
soon as the hydrogen of the hydrochloric acid begins to act 
on the oxygen of the nitric acid (19). Of this body, no 
other combination with an elementary substance is known 
than that with oxygen ; and it may be anticipated, that it 
will never be possible to form any, as this cannot be brought 
about with chlorine, which, owing to its great analogy with 
oxygen, relative to polarity, is able to act a part analogous 
to that of the said metalloid. 
The hyponitric acid, therefore, does not act in the man- 
ner of compound radicals. May it be supposed that in 
some organic combinations it acts the part of a single body ? 
In the present state of science, this is a question of the high- 
est importance ; and it may even be anticipated, that the 
future state of the che-mistry of compound radicals will de- 
pend upon the precision with which this question will be 
settled. 
23. By reacting upon an organic substance, and by oxi- 
dating one equivalent of hydrogen, according to the princi- 
ples of the theory of substitution, nitric acid forms 
(M — H 2 +N,) it appearing, from the analysis of the fresh 
combination, that M by losing H 2 has combined with N 2 4 . 
* We satisfy the latter condition by directing a current of hydrochloric 
acid into nitre. If the salt is quite dry, at a common temperature, no 
action takes place • on applying, however, a gentle heat, or on making- 
use of nitre which is not dry, chlorine, water, and nitrous vapors, are 
formed, products resulting from the influence of the water on the vapors ; 
and, finally, chloride of potassium is left behind. 
