Acids, Alkalis and Salts

Key Industries. The importance of the chemical industries depends mainly on the fact that they constitute the first step in a series of operations by which natural products are...

Nitric acid, the _aqua fortis_ of the alchemists, must be placed next to sulphuric acid in the scale of relative importance, because of the variety of its uses. It is indispensa...

Caustic and Mild. There are two classes of alkalis distinguished by the terms caustic and mild. If a piece of all-wool material is boiled with a solution of caustic soda or pota...

Organic Chemistry. About a century ago, when the science of Chemistry was still in its infancy, several substances were known which could then only be obtained from animals or p...

“Green bone,” as it is then called, may have fat adhering to it or confined in its hollow interior as marrow. This is recovered by treatment with benzine, and after that the bon...

One of the most noteworthy developments of modern chemical industry has been the increasing use of electricity as an agent for bringing about changes in matter. This has followe...

Acids. A vague hint from Nature gave mankind the first indication of the existence of acids. The juice pressed from ripe grapes is a sweetish liquid. If it is kept for some time...

Carbon. When any product of animal or vegetable life is strongly heated in a vessel from which all air currents are excluded, a mixture of gases and liquids is driven off, and a...

The Alkali Metals. The discovery of current electricity in 1790 furnished the chemist with a very powerful agency for bringing about the decomposition of compounds. Hydrogen and...

A group of acids, namely, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, hydrobromic, hydriodic, must now be considered together with their corresponding salts. In appearance and in other physical...