Volume 2

A general system of chemical knowledge; and its application to the phenomena of nature and art / By A.F. Fourcroy. Translated from the original French, by William Nicholson.

  • Fourcroy, Antoine-François de, comte, 1755-1809.
Date:
1804
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A general system of chemical knowledge; and its application to the phenomena of nature and art / By A.F. Fourcroy. Translated from the original French, by William Nicholson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/488 (page 4)
    tlie fame habitudes in various combinations, and are fubject to the fame kind of attractions. There facts are exprefifed by the etymologic ori- gin of this word, and its termination which re- fembles that of the acids. 4. We may diflinguifh two genera of oxides, or oxigenated bodies, which are not acid. The one, in fact, remain always fucli, and never pals to the ftate of acidity : in whatever manner they may be treated, they are not acidi fable. The other are only a kind of intermediate paf- fage, between the ftate of a combuftible body and that of acidity. They are oxides only, becaufe they yet contain too fmall a propor- tion of oxigen to become acids. They are ca- pable of acidification, if oxigen be added to them. 5. Among the oxides, properly fo called, which cannot pals to the ftate of acids, we muft reckon the oxide of hidrogen, or water, and a confiderable number of metallic oxides. In the genus of thofe which can be acidified by an addition of oxigen, we reckon lèverai combuf- tible bodies, which arc not metallic, and which being, in fact, capable of palling to the ftate of acidity, by a fufficient proportion of oxigen, they remain oxides only, until they have ab- sorbed that proportion of the acidifying prin- ciple. Such particularly are phofphorus, fui* phm; azote, and, perhaps, even carbon. 6. The oxides, whether non-acidifiable, or acklifiable, may alfo be diltinguilhed by the va- rious