AVOGADRO, (AMEDEO). -

Ideen über die Acidität und die Alkalität, in Beziehung auf die neuen Entdeckungen Davy's. Von A. Avogadro... frei bearbeitet von Gilbert.

Leipzig, Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1810. Contemp. hcalf. Gilt spine with gilt lettering. Spine slightly rubbed. In: "Annalen der Physik und der Physikalischen Chemie. Hrsg. Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert", Bd. 34 (= Neue Folge Bd. 4). (12),486 pp. a. 6 engraved plates. Avogadro's paper: pp. 64-75. Internally clean and fine.

First German version of an importent early paper, the first by Avogadro wholly devoted to chemistry. The original paper, in French, appeared under the title "Idées sur l’acidité et l’alcalinité" in 1809.

"Avogadro published his first article dealing only with chemistry in 1809. This memoir, on acids and alkalies, is interesting for several reasons. In the first place it illustrates his abiding concern with chemical affinity and incidentally the great influence exerted on him by Berthollet. Second, in the opening paragraph, which criticizes the oxygen theory of acidity, it illustrates his radical approach to post-Lavoisier chemistry. He postulated a relative scale of acidity in which oxygen and sulfur were placed toward the acid end of the scale, neutral substances in the middle, and hydrogen at the alkali end. A significant feature of this scale was that it was continuous. Avogadro would not allow any absolute distinctions. He was not, for example, prepared to agree with Berzelius that oxygen was absolutely electronegative. Davy, in 1807, had suggested a connection between acidity and alkalinity and electricity; Avogadro developed this idea. Another feature of Avogadro’s interests found in this memoir is the subject of nomenclature. He was to give more detailed attention to this in the 1840’s. (DSB).

The volume contains many other importent paper e.g. William Herscel "Beobactungen über die Gestalt des Saturns", La Place "bemerkungen über den Ring des saturns, in beziehung auf die widersprechenden Beobachtungen Herschel's und Schröter's über denselben", Georg Simon Klügel "Angabe eines möglichst vollkommenden achromatischen Doppel-Objectivs... achromatischer Fernröhre" with further 2 papers on the same by Klügel.

Order-nr.: 49576