The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-28

any element whose atomic ratio to hydrogen is capable of accurate direct determination?
 It is probable that, given an adequate equipment the direct ratio of hydrogen to chlorine, of hydrogen to sodium, of hydrogen to magnesium, or of hydru gen to aluminium, could be determined with sufficient precision for the pur- pose; provided that the ratio of chlor inc to oxygen, of sodium to oxygen. of magnesium to oxygen, and of alumi- nlum to oxygen, are we'll enough known, This may not now be the case with aluminium or magnesium; but is the case with chlorine and with sodium, whose atomic ratios to oxygen may be fairly assumed to be known within one part in twenty-five hundred If now, we can determine the ratio of chlorine to hydrogen, or of sodium to hydrogen. to one part in five thousand, we could compute, by a new method, the ratio between hydrogen and oxygen. If this should agree with the present value, within some such quantity as one part in two thousand, we should be as con- tident of the truth of cur value of the aomic weight of oxygen as we can well hope to be.
 The difficulties in making complete synthesis of hydrochloric acid are not small. nor are they all well under stood. Some unexpected circumstance may be prohibitive. But there is good reason to hope that three or four or five grammes of hydrogen could be weight, that a nearly equivalent quan- tity of chlorine could also be weighed, that the two could be combined, and that the product could be weighed. One serious difficulty would be found in at tempting to prepare pure chlorine; but the difficulty does not seem insupera- ble. The manipulation of the corrosive element requires invention, but seems not difficult. For the collection of the hydrOchloric acid in Weighable form, there seem to be alternative methods, not very difficult of execution, unless unforeseen difficulties are encountered. If the ratio between hydrogen and chloride could be determined to one part in five thousand, or to one part in ten thousand, it would be very interest ing addition to our list of known con-
  fidence in the ratio between oxygen and hydrogen.
 So, also, if sodium can be prepared of sufficient purity, CT of sufficiently con- stant impulity, it seems possible to weigh one hundred or two hundred grammes, to act on it with water in such a way as to produce a slow evo- lution of hydrogen, and to determine the weight of this hydrogen by loss ciently free from absorbed hydrogen; whether it can be prepared for weigh ing without attacking the vessels which contain it; are questions which need further experiment. It is probable hat vessel of platinum-iridium alloy could be made which would make sue cess almost certain, but at cQnsiderab ble cost. In this case also, if the ratio be- tween sodium and hydrogen can be or one part in ten thousand the re- suit would inspire confidence, or, if it must be, dlstrust, in our present value for the ratio between oxygen and hy- drogen.
 These suggestions, necessarily tenta- tive, in their nature, are submitted to the American Chemical society, in the hope of obtaining from those who do me the honor to listen to them or to sirability of making experiment. in the lines described, and discussions of the new methods indicated as possible