The Absolute Atomic Weights of the Chemical Elements; Established Upon the Analysis of the Chemists of the Nineteenth Century and Demonstrating the Unity of Mater Presented in Simple Language to the General Scientific Public

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901. Excerpt: ... 3 thousandths, will give us for the probable error of a single determination 8 thousandths, that is 0.008. Since the mean of Stas is 14.041, half of all observed values should lie within the range 0.008 below and above this mean, that is between 14.033 and 14.049; let us say, between 14.03 and 14.05. See bottom p. 11, and pp. 16-17. For the "fused" nitrogen atoms here considered, only No. 6 falls within this limit--the other six determinations are far above it, being located between 14.06 and 14.08. For the "dried " atoms, a similar state of facts would result. But why will common laborants, who like the janitors of a chemical laboratory, know of no chemistry beyond the mixing of liquids and the ignition of solids, with more or less of stink and fumes, meddle with mathematical processes they do not understand? It is like playing with new firearms--they may find them loaded when least suspecting such a thing. They ought to be more careful, hereafter. II. THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF NITROGEN BY CHEMICAL MEANS. Really it is not necessary to enter upon the purely chemical determinations of the atomic weight of nitrogen, after the perfectly unquestionable results obtained by density determinations of Lord Rayleigh and the preceding little Note on Stas' Syntheses of silver nitrate and his challenge. But the muddled state of the chemical mind, produced by the pretenses of Stas and diffused by the high chemical and academic endorsements of Stas, which have made the expression of any doubt about the Stas values a heresy, compel us to enter upon this chemical part once more. I must be permitted to insist that a demonstrated fact, such as the atomic weight of nitrogen by density determinations, is to be received as such, and cannot be suppressed. It must be accepted as a f...