Some very distinguished chemists consider hydrogen as the _phlogiston_ of Stahl; and as that celebrated chemist admitted the existence of phlogiston in sulphur, charcoal, metals, &c. they are of course obliged to suppose that hydrogen exists in all these substances, though they cannot prove their supposition; even if they could, it would not avail much, since this disengagement of hydrogen is quite insufficient to explain the phenomena of calcination and combustion. We must always recur to the examination of this question, "Are the heat and light, which are disengaged during the different species of combustion, furnished by the burning body, or by the oxygen which combines in all these operations?" And certainly the supposition of hydrogen being disengaged throws no light whatever upon this question. Besides, it belongs to those who make suppositions to prove them; and, doubtless, a doctrine which without any supposition explains the phenomena as well, and as naturally, as theirs does by supposition, has at least the advantage of greater simplicity[40].
TABLE _of the Binary Combinations of Sulphur with Simple Substances._
_Simple_ _Resulting Compounds._ _Substances._ _New Nomenclature._ _Old Nomenclature._
{ Oxyd of sulphur Soft sulphur. Oxygen { Sulphurous acid Sulphureous acid. { Sulphuric acid Vitriolic acid.
Hydrogen Sulphuret of hydrogen } Azote azote } Unknown Combinations. Phosphorus phosphorus } Charcoal charcoal }
Antimony antimony Crude antimony. Silver silver Arsenic arsenic Orpiment, realgar. Bismuth bismuth Cobalt cobalt Copper copper Copper pyrites. Tin tin Iron iron Iron pyrites. Manganese manganese Mercury mercury Ethiops mineral, cinnabar. Molybdena molybdena Nickel nickel Gold gold Platina platina Lead lead Galena. Tungstein tungstein Zinc zinc Blende.
{ Alkaline liver of sulphur Potash potash { with fixed vegetable alkali.
{ Alkaline liver of sulphur Soda soda { with fixed mineral { alkali.
{ Volatile liver of sulphur, Ammoniac ammoniac { smoaking liquor { of Boyle.
Lime lime Calcareous liver of sulphur. Magnesia magnesia Magnesian liver of sulphur. Barytes barytes Barytic liver of sulphur. Argill argill Yet unknown.
SECT. VIII.--_Observations on Sulphur, and its Combinations._