exact order of his work (which, as above flated, is arranged according to the feveral fources of error) employ an arrangement of the chemical principles, which he recommends as preferable to that ufed by the French academicians in their original work.

Imponderable Subftances.

Caloric. We agree with Mr. Chenevix in the propriety of fubftituting thermogen, for that word; it undoubtedly accords better with oxygen and hydrogen.

Light. The fubftitution of photogen, as propofed by the author, would prevent the confufion which arifes at prefent from the fame word being ufed for the caufe as well as the effect. If, however, it fhould be proved, that light is a common principle of combuflible bodies, and that true combuftion confifts in the difengagement of it (an opinion fupported by the moft refpectable names) then phlogiston must be allowed to claim its right of preoccupancy.

The comburating Substance.

Oxygen (of the Greek origin of which, fome perfons yet betray fufficient ignorance to write oxigen) being a substance on which the greateft part of the new Nomenclature depends, we fhall give it particular attention. Mr. C. juftly obferves, that fome expreffions are wanted to denote the relative quantity of oxygen contained in oxides, when feveral of thefe occur from one fimple body. The colour of them has been applied to that purpofe; but this, in many cafes, is impracticable; and the colour cannot denote with precision the series in which they are formed. The terminations ous and ic, used for the acids, might in fome cafes be applied; but, from the great variety of proportions in which fome metals are capable of combining with oxygen, thefe two terminations alone would not fuffice. This is certainly a great defect in the fyftem, and a periphrastic expreffion feems unavoidable; as a numerical feries cannot be applied, unlefs all the poffible ftates of combination were known with certainty.

Mr. Chenevix is averfe to the ufe of the word calx for oxide; the latter, indeed, is now well established; but, we think, its claim is very doubtful. When the Nomenclature was first drawn up, the metallic calxes (at that time upwards of twenty in number) and nitrous gas were required to be included under the fame generical name. The most natural ftep was, the extenfion of the term by which the metallic oxides had been denoted, to nitrous gas; but as chaux in French, and calx in Latin, were also used to denote lime, the French academicians rejected the term, and fought for a Greek fubftitute. In these languages there were fufficient reasons

for

for this step, but there is none to induce the English translators to adopt the alteration; as the word calx does not, in English, occafion the least ambiguity. By the above proceeding, all the metallic calxes had their names changed, without the leaft benefit, as nitrous gas retains its name to this day: and we fhall fee, that this is not the only inftance in which the tranflators of the Nomenclature have neglected, even the endcavour, to exprefs the idea of the original, in fuch words as would have been adopted by the authors themselves, if they had written in English. A rule which, it has been properly remarked*, ought to be the primary object of attention, in transfufing the works of any author from one language to an

other.

The combination of a greater quantity of oxygen is denoted, in the new Nomenclature, by the word acid; but the propriety of this ftep is equally doubtful. In the first place, we fhall confider the ambiguity of the word. Mr. Chenevix, p. 33, feems to wifh, that the term was reftrained within narrower boundaries than at present. From the circumftance of fulphur, phosphorus, charcoal, and fome other bodies forming acids by combination with oxygen, Lavoifier proposed the hypothefis, that acidity was produced by a certain combination of oxygen, although the exiftence of this principle, in several acitis, could not be demonftrated, and was only inferred by analogy. His followers have been equally unfuccessful in their attempts to difcover oxygen in the muriatic, fluoric, or boracic acids. Very refpectable practical chemists have acknowledged the acid nature of fulphure:ted hydrogen, and alfo their doubts whether the pruffic acid contains oxygen. As acids therefore do not seem to contain a common principle, and that term appears to denote a divifion of substances founded only on their action upon other bodies, and not on their compofition; the use of the word to exprefs a peculiar combination feerns improper. The want of uniformity might alfo be alledged against this word; as, in a feries of words all relating to one thing, and in which a partial facrifice has already been made, the whole fhould certainly be derived from a common root; and therefore the prefent feries, oxygen, oxide, acid, appears faulty in point of language. Brugnatelli has propofed oxyc, in lieu of acid; by adopting which, both the above objections would be removed; the feries would be uniform in its formation; and, as oxyc would denote a combination of oxygen endowed with acid properties, there would

* Preface to Beloe's Herodotus.

exift no neceffity to alter a word fo well established in the fouthern languages of Europe as acid, or to affix to it two feparate and very different fignifications, which it would often be difficult to diftinguith. Mr. Chenevix, in criticizing Brugnatelli, allows, p. 238, that this particular alteration is only flightly objectionable in itfelf; but fays, he does not fee the neceffity of a series of words being derived from one and the fame language. We do not know how this obfervation can be reconciled with his wifh for fimilarity of termination in the names of analogous things; as this can fcarcely be obtained in any other manner. He has himfelf propofed, as we have already ihown, two derivatives from the Greek, thermogen and photogen; yet the reason he offers for it, namely, fimilarity of termination, is furely of lefs force than thofe given for the adoption of the word oxyc.

From the connection of the fubject, we shall add in this place fome obfervations refpecting metallic falts. The chemifts who use the new Nomenclature, generally exprefs only the name of the metal, without taking any notice of its being combined with oxygen in thefe falts. It has, however, been propofed to exprefs this ftate of the metal, by an appropriate epithet, as fulphated oxide of iron. On this, Mr. Chenevix remarks as follows:

"The English tranflator of Gren's Chemistry propofes to call metallic falts by the name of the metal, preceded by the paffive partici ple of a verb formed from the name of the acid radical, and terminated by the defignation of its flate of combination with oxygen, as thus: fulphated, nitrated, muriated, &c. oxide of iron, inftead of fulphute, nitrate, muriate of iron. This, in a certain ftate, is clear and accurate; but two reafons may be given, why the latter denomination fhould be allowed to remain.

"Ift. Sulphated is a term, happily applied by mineralogifts to their fcience. It is ufed by them to denote thofe natural faline combinations, which we, in chemistry, denote by ate. Thus muriated filver is, in mineralogy, the natural muriate of filver; and muriate of filver is the artificial fubftance, which, when found in nature, mineralogifts term muriated filver. This part of the Abbé Hauy's Nomenclature must be approved, as it forms a happy diftinction between the kindred fciences; at the fame time leaving a connection qualis decet effe fororum. I do not fee fufficient reafon for infringing upon this mode of appella

tion.

"2nd. It is well known that no metal, unless it be combined with more or lefs oxygen, is foluble in the acids. This is a generic character of metallic falts. What is true of the genus, without a fingle exception (and in this cafe there is none) is true of every fpecies, and of every individual. It is, therefore, ufelefs to repeat the ftate of oxidizement before every one; and as fulphate of iron is thorter, it is to be preferred to fulphated oxide of iron. I would not, by this, be Cc thought

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXIII. APRIL, 1804.

thought to plead indifcriminately for concifenefs in expreffion. We fhall presently fee fome examples where brevity is inadmiffible. There is but one kind of fentence or expreffion truly fhort; that which, while it employs few words, leaves no fhadow of obfcurity or doubt; and fulphate of iron can stand every teft on this head." P. 28.

We omit criticizing two obvious errors in the language of this extract, and fhall confine ourselves to the arguments. With refpect to the firft, we confefs we do not fee that any advantage arifes from the language of mineralogy and of chemiftry being different. The fecond argument would be of more force, if the falts compofed of the fame acid, and the fame metal, did not frequently vary in their properties, on account of the different quantities of oxygen combined with the metal in the ftate of oxide. Of this cafe, Mr. Chenevix's obfervations afford a remarkable infiance.

"A great confufion, for inflance, arifes concerning the two ftates of muriate of mercury. Muriate de mercure, muriate of mercury. Muriate oxygèré de mercure (as we would tranflate it) oxymuriate of mercury, are used by thofe, who speak the fyftematic language, to denote calomel, and corrofive fublimate. The former term is correct; the latter, quite the reverfe. In my experiments upon hyperoxyge nized muriatic acid, I have shown, that the excess of oxygen in the falt, called corrofive fublimate, is combined, not with the acid, bức with the oxide of mercury. For oxygenized muriate of mercury does not exist; and hyperoxygenized muriate of mercury is a totally different fubftance from corrofive fublimate. Both calomel therefore and corrofive fublimate are muriates of mercury. But in the, one, the oxide contains but little oxygen, in the other much more, and both falts are white. In the other metals, the colour of the falts gets us out of all dilemmas, arifing from the different degrees of oxidizement of the oxides; and red fulphate of iron, green fulphate of iron, are fufficient diftinctions. From our being in want of a diftinguishing term for the fate of the oxide, and from the metal being fo uncomplaifant as not to change the colour of the falt it forms, although combined with an additional portion of oxygen, we are forced, if we would be clear and precife, to use the old terms, which ought however to be exploded." P. 91.

Thefe obfervations are, we think, a complete refutation of the author's former arguments against the oxidizement of the merals being expreffed in the names of metallic falts. If calomel were denominated muriated oxide of mercury, and corrofive fublimate of mercury named muriated hyperoxide of mercury, the different proportions of oxygen m the oxides would be clearly fhown. In like manner, we should prefer fulphated red oxide of iron, fulphated green oxide of iron, to the common mode of expreffing thefe falts in the new language of chemistry. By this change, it would be clearly Shown, that the different properties of thefe falts depended upon the flate of the oxide; a fa& which, at prefent, is, from

the

the position of the adjective rendered doubtful. It is probable that fome better expreffions may hereafter be found, to denote the different proportions of oxygen in the several oxides of the fame metal. We purposely omit, in this place, the remarks we mean to offer on the use of the words mercury and fulphated.

In respect to the ufe of the word oxygenizement, and of the verb, to oxygenize, we perfectly agree with Mr. Chenevix, on account of their being more analogous to the other words derived from Greek roots. Indeed, the word oxygenation, and its correfpondent verb, to oxygenate, are only two of those Gallic barbarifms, which have been introduced into the Englifh language of chemistry, by the ignorance, or at least careleffnefs, of fome tranflators from the French, and afterwards adopted, without examination, by perfons of fuperior learning. Oxygenizable Bodies not Metallic.

Hydrogen. This we frequently find written hidrogen, by perfons whom we must fuppofe, of course, to be ignorant of its true etymology. On the ufe of the verb, to hydrogenize, our remarks on the fimilar verb from oxygen are fufficient. Fol. lowing the general rule for expreffing the combinations into which any of the fimple combuftible bodies enter, by the termination uret, Mr. Chenevix proposes hydroguret, or adjec tively, hydroguretted, with which we are perfectly satisfied. He apologizes for the retaining of the word, water, to exprefs oxide of hydrogen; but we do not conceive how this word can be retained, confiftently with the principles on which the Nomenclature is founded. The combination of water, the author proposes to exprefs by the term hydroxide, which is far more agreeable to the rules of the Nomenclature than hydrate, ufed by Mr. Prouft.

Carbone. Mr. Chenevix ftill retains this term; but, instead of carbonated hydrogen gas, or hydrocarbonate, he proposes carburetted hydrogen, or carburet of hydrogen, either of which is far more regular. As the carbone of Lavoifier appears to be diamond combined with oxygen, it feems to us, that the whole feries must be altered, and derived from that principle, thus, adamant, adamuret, adamantous, adamantic; or the diamond must be called difoxygenized carbone, which would introduce a dangerous innovation into the Nomenclature, and fet it at variance with the theory.

Phosphorus. Phosphoret, being a contraction of phosphoruret, muft, according to the just remark of the author, be fpelt with an u in the fecond fyllable; thus, phosphuretted hydrogen, for phosphorized hydrogen.

Sulphur. From this, fulphuret and fulphuretted are regu lar; and the term fulphuretted hydrogen is far preferable to

Cc 2

fulphu