Exposition of the atomic theory of chymistry : and the doctrine of definite proportions / by William James Macneven ... ; with an appendix of chymical exercises, by the pupils of the laboratory, &c.

  • MacNeven, William James, 1763-1841.
Date:
1819
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Exposition of the atomic theory of chymistry : and the doctrine of definite proportions / by William James Macneven ... ; with an appendix of chymical exercises, by the pupils of the laboratory, &c. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    32/126
    with various doses of oxigen, we are best enabled- to determine the number of atoms which constitute the compounds. Thus manganese unites with 4 do- ses of oxigen, and if the manganese be represented by 100, the oxigen of each respective oxide is found to be 14, 28, 42, 56. These numbers are in arith- metical progression, having the common difference 14, and are to each other as 1,2, 3, 4. Hence, the first oxide is composed of one atom manganese and 1 atom oxigen; the second of 1 manganese 4- 2 oxigen ; the third, of 1 manganese -f 3 oxigen ; and the fourth, of 1 manganese and 4 oxigen. It is observable that the 4th proportion of oxigen is very easily separated, the second and third are less and less so, and the separation of the first, or the total decomposition of the oxide, is extremely difficult. In like manner as mercury unites with two doses of oxigen and forms 2 oxides, the 1st composed of 100 mercury and 4 oxigen, and the 2nd of 100 mer- cury and 8 oxigen ; the 1st must be a compound of 1 atom mercury + 1 atom oxigen, and the 2nd of 1 atom mercury -f- 2 oxigen. There are 2 oxides of iron, the 1st composed of 100 iron and 28 oxigen, the 2nd of 100 iron and 42 oxigen. Now, as 28 : 42 :: 2 : 3 it follows that the 1st is composed of 100 iron and 2 atoms oxigen, and the 2nd of 100 iron and 3 atoms oxigen; and we may infer from analogy that there is a lower oxide consisting of 100 iron and 1 atom oxigen.