An essay on phlogiston, and the constitution of acids / by Richard Kirwan.

  • Kirwan, Richard, 1733-1812.
Date:
1787
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on phlogiston, and the constitution of acids / by Richard Kirwan. 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.

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    SECT. II. I Of the Compofition of Acids, and General Prin- ciples of the New ’theory. WITH refpeCt to the nature and internal compofition of acids, it mult be owned that the theory of chymiftry has been much advanced by the deductions and reafonings of Mr. Lavoifier : that a certain quantity of pure air difappeared during the combultion of ful- phur and phofphorus, and on uniting pure air with nitrous air, was firlt difeovered by Dr. Prieltley ; but the connection and relation of this air to the refulting acids, was firlt at- tended to by Mr. Lavoifier. I have fhewn in different papers, in the Philofophical Tranfac- tions,that this air always unites to the phlogiftic principle, and is converted into fixed air, but I negleCted tracing it any farther ; I am now of opinion that it becomes an effential con- ftituent part of acids. All acids confift of two principles, one pe- culiar to each, which, in the opinion of the antipnlogifiians, has not as yet been decom- pofed, and confequently ffiuft be looked upon, relatively to the prefent ftate of our knowledge, as a fimple fubftance ; and the other, pure air in a concrete ftate, that is, deprived of the C 3 greater