The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-30
Histoly@gG H4leNileteendl(entuly:
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chemistry and natural philosophy In 1851
l'aNy appiied his gaivanie battery 70 the
was rewarded by seeing Eiohules a metal
resembling mercury in appearance nj the
negative pole; and he subsequently, proved
that these Globnies. when burned. repro
duced the alkali from which they had
been derived. They also combined with
oxymurlaiic acid as chlorine tdlscov-
cred by Scheelel was then termed. form
ing ordinary salt, II sodium be employed.
and the analogous salt. ''muriate Of pot
ash, II the allied methal potassium, we're
subjected to combustion. BY using mer-
curry as the negative pole. and passing a
current through a strong solution OF the
chloride OF calcium. strontium or harium.
pavy succeeded In procuring mixtures
metals. TO which he gave the names cal
cium. stroniium and harium. Distillstion
metal was left behind In state OF com
paratfve purity. The alkali metals. potas-
stun and sodium. were found to attack
glass, uberating the basis OF the slick,
TO which the name silicon has since been
given.
Thus nearly the last OF the "esrths'' had
been decomposed. II was proved that not
merely were the 'calces' of iron. copper,
lead and other well-known metals COM
pounds OF the respective metals with oxy-
gen, but Davy showed that lime and its
allies, strontia and baryta, and even silica
or flint. were to be regarded as oxides OF
elements Of metallic appearance. To COM
plete our review of this part of the sub
ject. suffice II to say that aluminium.
metal now produced on an Industrial
scale. was prepared for the first time In
1897 by Wohler, professor OF chemistry at
Gotungen. by the action Of potassium on
its chloride. and alumina, the earthly
basis OF clay, was shown TO be the oxide
of the metal aluminium. Indeed, the prep
aration OF this metal In quantity Is now
carried out at Schoffhausen-on-the-R Rhine
and at the Falls OF Foyers. In scotland,
nv a. n~f troll trzfe al
melted cryolite. mineral Consisting OF
the 1uorides OF sodium and aluminium. by
a method differing only In scale from that
by means of which Davy Isolated sodium
and potassium in 1905.
To Davy, too, belongs the merit Of hav-
ing dethroned oxygen from its central po-
sition among the elements, Layoisier gave
TO this important gas the name oxygen
because he imagined II 10 be the constitu-
ent Of all acid. He renamed the common
compounds or oxygen In such a manner
that the term oxygen was not even rep
resented In the name-only inferred. Thus
a nitrate" Is n compound or an oxide
of nitrogen and an oxide OF metal. a
"sulphate" Of the oxide OF a metal with
Dayy. by discovering the elementary ma
ture OF chlorine. showed hrst that X ~
not an oxide OF hydrochloric acid Cor
muriatic acid, as II was then caliedp, anu
second, that the latter acid IL the COM
pound OF the element chlorine win n.y.
drogen. This he did by passing chlorine
eminently suited 70 deprive oxy-eom-
pounds OF their oxygen--and proving
that no oxide OF carbon IL thereby pro-
duced; by acting on certain chlorine~
such "a those OF tin or phosphorus with
ammonia and showing that no oxide OF
tin OF phosphorus II formed, and lastly,
by decomposing "muriatic acid gas
GASEOUS hydrogen chloride, with sodium
and showing that the only product BESIDES
common salt Is hydrogen. Instead, there
fore OF the former theory that ahior-
tde was a compound of the unknown
basis 81 oxy-m,rlatic acid with oxygen
and the oxide OF n metal. he introduc~d
the simpler and correct view that chior.
ide Is merely compound OF me elhinenl
chlorine with a metal In iSl3 he estab-
lished the similar nature OF honrne.
pointing out that on the analogy ol me
chiorides II was fair deduction that tne
nourides are compounds OF an undlscoNer-
ed element fourine with metals: ana tnat
hydrofouric acid IL the true analogue OF
hydroehioric acid The truth OF TINS tore-
cast has been established OF recent years
hy Henri Moissan, who Isolated gaseous
nnurine by atibjectins mixture OF ny
fioure acid and HYDROGEN POTASSIUM noui-
ide contained In platinum ,uus 70 liz tIs
has recently found that the tube may he
equally well constructed OF coppefs anu
this may soon lead 20 the lndnssrlal ~p-
pIicatfon OF the process The duueuly
~ isoiatfnr fiourine r. due 20 Us extra
ordinary chemical energy, Tor tbets air
few substances. elementary or compnnhut
which resist tho action 81 tnis psas
bv c,ourtois from the ashes OF sea plants.
was shown by pavy 10 be an elsneht
analogous 70 chlorine; Gay ,ed
rnanv ~ It's compounds. snd 80 iNb ihe
last af these elements. hronine, wac W.
covered IN the mother haNet OK aNa - 49,
bv RalArd. The clements ~ thaH ktove
have been termed halcsens' Of sat-
producers" -. ....r,h..
fr,tn me aefoniahed cars OF the scieutshs
ana aileitante world John Dalton Man.
chester schoalmastef, conceived = theers
witch Vas proved ~ the utmsst sttNis@
10 the science 81 chemistry a@a "as'en
fgss fafr to nufiast our day. IL bad been
Noticed bv Wenaei by Richter. ~ Noi.
lastau aud by gRyendlsh, toward me era
~ the last century, that the sane .et,-
hounds cuuisin the same constituents IN
the same PROPORTIONS. or. az the phrase
rqinq 'iuowaaas constant composition
Woilaatou indeed. he'd gone one step i1t-
ther. and had shown that when tse FsH sss
table acid. gSAGIc acid 81 combined WIN
rntash II forms TWO compounds "a 0oN
~ witch the acid u contained n twice -
great an amount rrlaAVeiy 70 NC pptAsn
~ M the other The names rnenoxatat"
ara lsnoxaiate ~ potash were anphea 70
these eaFnaaggds. 20 Indicate thH reg-
tive proportions n the iu&fcAlentN. l'al-
ton conceived me happF iafa f1st p.
at.nfvfne fhs sneiert Greek conception ~
afFrua ~ gnrh facts the neiafita Weights
N the atoms could Ne determined tliik-
iratlnE hfs views With tho two c0mIqnn9s
~ carbon With hydrogen. taafsh ass Ail1
nlannHt gre nud with the iWn acids ~
rarf-an. carbnuic oxide cAFcnnle AEtdt
he regarded the former an . COMPOUND
N owe ainfa az carbon and tw@ - hEs
AraEen. ara similarly for tbe two oxides
~ caF8sgn Em0wlrE IRE relative ~eiantA
in Whica these eiemcnis enter Into COM
binatioH. We ran eedess ne feiatite
t8pp mnIglt az ar Atom ~ hydrogen @2QAi
90 unliy. We hasel