Supplement to the Introduction to the atomic theory : comprehending a sketch of certain opinions and discoveries bearing upon the general principles of chemical philosophy, which have been brought into notice since the publication of that work / by C. Daubeny.

  • Daubeny, Charles Giles Bridle, 1795-1867.
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Supplement to the Introduction to the atomic theory : comprehending a sketch of certain opinions and discoveries bearing upon the general principles of chemical philosophy, which have been brought into notice since the publication of that work / by C. Daubeny. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    33/90 page 15
    definite proportion is in both cases equally maintained. Oxygen, for example, uniting with hydrogen, in the proportion, by weight, of eight to one, forms water, and as this is the more stable of the two known combinations of these two elements with one another, it seems probable, that an equal number of atoms of either ingredient concurs to form it, in which case the weight of an atom of oxygen, as compared to that of an atom of hydrogen, will be as eight to one. But if these be taken as the relative atomic weights of the two elements, twice the number of atoms of oxygen must be present in a given volume of oxygen gas, as in the corresponding one of hydrogen, because, to form water, exactly two volumes of oxygen unite with one volume of hydrogen. Now these anomalies are easily reconciled by assuming, 1st, That all bodies, when converted into the state of gas, are resolved into certain groups of particles between which repulsion takes place, but that these by chemical means are often still further subdivided into smaller groups, which bear, however, always a certain numerical relation to the former. Those who desire to prosecute this inquiry further, will do well to consult Dr. Front's Bridgewater Treatise, in which the arguments in favour of the existence of molecular groups are clearly stated, and many curious deductions made from the principle assumed. They may also refer to the Le9ons sur la Philosophie Chimique, by the French Chemist, Mons. Dumas, to which allusion has already been made, or to the Introduction to his Traite de Chimie appliquee aux Arts, the first volume of which appeared in 1828. This philosopher has proposed to designate that de- scription of molecular groups into which bodies are resolved by heat, physical atoms ; and those simpler groups into which their affinities for other bodies often subdivide them, chemical atoms; and although persons disposed to be hypercritical may object to the application of the term in such a sense as the above, as they may
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3