The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1861-11-30

mean S1dt o. ounces OF Oxygen are f9qu1
to satisfy it's affinity for one ounce Of by
drogen, as the exponent is multiplier Of
the atomic number of the symbol TO which
it is applied. The atomic number of oxy-
gen is 8, without being written; give it The
exponent and it would read 8X8-64-a
chemical monstrosity. If more atoms than
one unite with another the conpound is
expressed by using the exponent thus: co..
represents carbonic acid, and means that one
atom of carbon unites with two atoms Of
oxygen. An atom of carbon compared with
hydrogen weighs six. an atom of oxygen 8,
heuce ounces of carbon will unite with 16
ounces of oxygen to produce the deadly
carbonic acid which you, Mr.. Baker, produce
every time you breathe. Perhaps this il
lustration will be to your mind ''as clear as
mud" if SO trust you will bear in mind
that it is your misfortune to be mud head,
not my fault.
The reader will remember that you made
quite a flourish over the few symbols used
in my first article; if he will examine the
article he will notice that these symbols are
invariably included in parenthesis and may
be read or omitted at pleasure, without af-
fecting the paragraph in which they occur.
They were added for the benefit of tie
reader who might perhaps have slight
smattering of chemical knowledge. Of
course men of your kidney were not ex-
pected to read, much less to understand
them.
In paragraph second of your last con-
glomerate, you express much surprise at
my mentioning oxygen, hydrogen, carbon
and nitrogen as the principal organic ele-
ments, and then ask why ''drop them sud
denly and take up the two inorganic elements
silica and potash?" Remember you say
that potash and silica are inorganic elements.
say they are not. They are notin chemical
language elements. They are compound bod
les. Had you been a chemist you never
would have applied the word element to a
compound body. Potash is composed OF
potassium (the Latin of which is kallum
one atom and oxygen one, the atomic
number of oxygen as before stated is 8, that
of potassium 80. The symbol of potash is
K. O., that of silica is 81. o., tina. is 81
ounces of silicon tits atomic number) and
"a ounces of oxygen (three times its atomic
number). The modern system of naming
chemical bodies, whether elementary or
compound, is almost perfection itself. And
the man who understands chemistry in this
day, never uses such an expression as
"chlorine of potassium, ''chlorine of So
dunn" (Which you perpetrate,) because
this nom enclature is false on its face.
The truth is your blunder in reference to
H. o. or o. H.s being the true symbols for
water; your ranking potash and silica as ele-
ments, your ''chlorine of potassium" fol
chloride of potassium, show conclusively
that your ignorance upon the subject Of
agricultural chemistry is profound.
A word upon the subject of this nomen-
clature, aud l leave you to rummage over
your obsolete volumes for matter for another
plagiarism. There are about IS chemica
ending in en- or ide unites with another
and the compound so formed is not an acid
the termination ide is applied; as oxide O.
iron, chloride of sodium. This is the sys
tenn in England and on the continent. II
America, for the sake of euphony chemists
have in some few cases changed the termi
nation .ide into uret. as carburet of by
drogen instead of carbide. Now no man is
chemist who does not understand the sys.
TEN of naming the different compound;
with which we meet. No man can be an
agricultural chemist who is not first an an,
alytical chemist, because the one is the base
of the other.
ga few fossilized table So Indeed, .'is
this the language of a professor of chemis.
try 20 The tables you have quoted are
literally fossilized. Sprengle, though al
eminent chemist of his time, is far behind
this age. He lived and wrote about the
time that Webster published his spelling.
book, which states that the four elements
are earth, air, fire and water. This is nov
demonstrated to be false. Fire is a phe
nomenon. an appearance, and is neither al
element nor compound. Air is com
pound, not an element, so of earth and
water.
The downright unfairness of your two
articles consists. in part. of your systema.
tized attempt to impress the public with the