The elementary nature of chlorine / Papers by Humphry Davy (1809-1818).

  • Davy, Humphry, Sir, 1778-1829.
Date:
1902
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: The elementary nature of chlorine / Papers by Humphry Davy (1809-1818). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by UCL Library Services. The original may be consulted at UCL (University College London)

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    philosophers in this country, it has been judged most proper to suggest a name founded upon one of its obvious and characteristic properties—its colour, and to call it Chlorine, or Chloric gas.* Should it hereafter be discovered to be compound, and even to contain oxygene, this name can imply no error, and cannot necessarily require a change. Most of the salts which have been called muriates, are not known to contain any muriatic acid, or any oxygene. Thus Libavius's liquor, though converted into a muriate by water, contains only tin and oxymuriatic gas, and horn- silverseems incapable of being converted intoatrue muriate. I venture to propose for the compounds of oxy- muriatic gas and inflammable matter, the name of their bases, with the termination ane. Thus argentane may signify horn-silver; stannane, Libavius's liquor; anti- monane, butter of antimony; sulphurane, Dr. Thomson's sulphuretted liquor; and so on for the rest. In cases when the proportion is one quantity of oxy- muriatic gas, and one of inflammable matter, this nomenclature will be competent to express the class to which the body belongs, and its constitution. In cases when two or more proportions of inflammable matter, combine with one of gas; or two or more of gas, with one of inflammable matter, it may be convenient to signify the proportions by affixing vowels before the name, when the inflammable matter predominates, and after the name, when the gas is in excess; and in the order of the alphabet, a signifying two, e three, i four, and so on. The name muriatic acid, as applied to the compound of hydrogene and oxymuriatic gas, there seems to be no reason for altering. And the compounds of this body with oxides should be characterised in the usual manner, and as the other neutral salts. * From xAtupos.