| Oxide of Potassium | + | Acetate of Silver | |
| = | Oxide of Silver | + | Acetate of Potash; |
So
| Nitric Acid | + | Acetate of Silver | |
| = | Acetic Acid | + | Nitrate of Silver. |
In the list of acids. Sulphuric Acid is usually placed first as being the strongest, and Carbonic Acid, which is a gaseous substance, last. The vegetable acids, such as Acetic, Tartaric, etc., are intermediate, being weaker than the mineral acids, but stronger than Carbonic, or Hydrocyanic Acid.
The order of decompositions affected by the insolubility or the volatility of the products which may be formed.—It might be inferred from remarks already made, that on mixing saline solutions, a gradual interchange of elements would take place, until the strongest acids were associated with the strongest bases, and vice versâ. There are many causes however which interfere to prevent this; one of which is volatility.—-
The violent effervescence which takes place on treating a Carbonate of any kind with an acid is due to the gaseous nature of Carbonic Acid and its escape in that form, which greatly facilitates the decomposition.
Insolubility is also a cause which exercises a great influence on the result which will follow in mixing solutions. If the formation of an insoluble substance is possible by any interchange of elements, it will take place. A solution of Chloride of Sodium added to Nitrate of Silver invariably produces Chloride of Silver; the insolubility of Chloride of Silver being the cause which determines its formation.
So again, Sulphate of Lead and Protonitrate of Iron are produced by mixing Nitrate of Lead with Sulphate of Iron; but if Nitrate of Potash be substituted for Nitrate of Lead, the result is uncertain, because there are no elements present which can, by interchanging, form an insoluble salt; Sulphate of Potash, although sparingly soluble in water, not being insoluble, like the Sulphate of Lead or the Sulphate of Baryta.
ON CHEMICAL NOMENCLATURE.
The nomenclature of the chemical elements is mostly independent of any rule; but an attempt has been made to obviate this in the case of those of later discovery. Thus the names of the newly-found metals usually end in um, as Potassium, Sodium, Barium, Calcium, etc.; and those elements which possess analogous characters have corresponding terminations assigned to them, as Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, Fluorine, etc.