Alphabet of Scientific Chemistry, for the Use of Beginners

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1833 edition. Excerpt: ... oxygen, with which it combines, forming potass, while the hydrogen, thus set free, takes fire, and burns brilliantly, realising the miracle of producing fire froni ice, said to have been performed in the fifth century by St. Patrick '. The constituents of soda, and discovery of sodium, which would fall to be noticed here, have been already introduced under Sea Watek. Constituents of Lithia and Discovery of Lithium. In 1818, M. Arfwedson, a Swedish chemist, discovered a new alkali in a mineral called petalite, and it has since been found in mica, and several other minerals, and by Berzelius in the waters of Carlsbad in Bohemia. It has been termed Lithia2, and is distinguished from potass and soda by its solution in spirits of wine, burning with a red flame; and from the alkaline earths, by its compound with carbonic acid when dissolved in water, staining turmeric paper brown. Lithium, the metallic base of Lithia, was discovered by Sir H. Davy. It is white, and similar to sodium. Constituents of Ammonia. From time immemorial, a substance called Sal ammoniac has been prepared in the district of Ammonia, (!) " De glacie produxit ignem," says his biographer, Jocelin. (2) From the Greek MSuos, " stony." between Libya and Egypt, from the soot formed by. burning camels' dung. This, which is now manufactured in Europe by different processes to a considerable extent, is found to consist of hydrochloric acid, and the alkali called Ammonia, first observed, it would appear, by Dr. Priestley, and well known by the popular name of hartshorn, or spirit of hartshorn. Ammonia may be procured by mixing two parts of fresh burnt lime in powder, with one part of powdered sal ammoniac; putting the whole into a glass retort, with a tube to...