A Manual of the Chemistry of the Carbon Compounds

TEE CARBON COMPOUNDS.
Titanium
Tin
platinum
Chloride.
Chloride.
Chloride.
ide.
Cl)
01
)
Cl
Cl
§ «•
Cl
ClJ
ci;
01
Thus all the elements maybe divided into different groups, according
to their power of combining with or replacing hydrogen. Those
which combine with this element atom for atom are termed univalent
elements or monads. Those of the second group are bivalent or Dyads,
each atom of them requiring two monad elements to form a molecule.
The elements of the nitrogen group, as well as boron and gold, are
trimlmt or Triads; and carbon, silicon, titanium, tin, and platinum, are
quadrivalent elements or Tetrads,
Monad elements form with one another only few and simple compounds,
whilst the compounds of the other groups are much more
numerous and complicated. Thus chlorine and hydrogen combine
only iu one proportion, whilst oxygen and hydrogen form two compounds;
of oxygen and chlorine we know three compounds; and of
oxygen, chlorine, and hydrogen, as many as five compounds.
In hydrochloric acid the combining capacity of hydrogen is saturated
by chlorine, but if one atom of hydrogen enters into combination
with one atom of oxygen, only half the combining capacity of the
latter element is saturated, and the other half can not only be saturated
by hydrogen or by chlorine, but also again by anotheratom of oxygen;
but in the latter case again one of the combining units of oxygen is
left free, and in order to form a closed molecule must be combined
with a monad element. The constitution of the oxides of hydrogen
and the oxides and acids of chlorine is illustrated by the following
graphical formulas :—
Water H-O-H
Hydrogen Dioxide . H - 0 - 0 — H
Chlorine Monoxide . Cl — 0 — Cl
Chlorine Trioxide . . Cl-0-0-0-Cl
Chlorine Tetroxide . Cl-0-0-0-0-Cl
Hydrochloric Acid . 01 - H
Hypoehlorous Acid . 01 - 0 - H
Chlorous Acid . . . Cl - 0 - 0 - H
Chloric Acid . . . Cl-0-O-O-H
Perchloric Acid . . Cl-0-0-0 — 0-H
In a similar manner we can explain the existence of the different
sulphides of potassium and the acids of phosphorus:—
K-S-K
K-S-S-K
K-S-S-S-K
K-S-S-S-S-K
K-S-S-S-S-S-K