CONTENTS.

Introduction

PAGE

VII

CHAPTER I.

Objects of Chemistry—Affinity—Nature of combination, and de-composition—The Elements—Air, its properties and compo-sition—Oxygen and nitrogen—Combustion, results of combus-tion—Carbonic-acid-gas—Water, ice, and steam—latent heat—composition of water—Hydrogen . 1

CHAPTER II.

Carbon, its different forms—Cohesion—Combustion and decay—Carbonic-acid-gas, produced by respiration, combustion, fer-mentation, &c.—Nature of acids—Carburetted hydrogen orfire-damp—Compounds all definite in composition—Carbonicoxide—Nitrogen, combined with hydrogen forms ammonia—Nature and properties of ammonia, nitrogen, and oxygen—Nitricacid—Sulphur, sulphurous acid, sulphuric acid, sulphurettedhydrogen—Chlorine, muriatic acid—Phosphorus, phosphoricacid .......... 19

CHAPTER III.

Rases—Potash, its properties—Carbonate and nitrate of potash,Gunpowder—Soda, common salt, sulphate, carbonate and ni-trate of Soda—Ammonia, its carbonate, sulphate, and mu-riate—Lime, its nature and compounds, carbonate, sulphate,and phosphate of lime—Magnesia, its carbonate, sulphate,muriate, and phosphate—Alumina, its properties—Alum—Silica or silicic acid—Silicates of potash and soda—Glass—Sili-cates in the soil, in plants—The metals, their oxides—Iron,its oxides, and sulphuret—Sulphate of iron or green vitriol—Manganese—Metallic salts . . . . . .43