A Study of the Decomposition of Hydrated Ammonium Salts, With Reference to Its Bearing on Molecular Structure: Thesis for the Degree of Master of . Presented June, 1907 (Classic Reprint)

This book pioneers investigations into the structure of hydrated ammonium salts through detailed studies of decomposition. The author initially presents evidence to dispute the empirical formulas of previously purported hydrated ammonium salts by demonstrating that these studies often yielded incorrect conclusions due to experimental design and interpretation errors. The author identifies the temperature at which the decomposition begins and ends, as well as the temperature ranges in which different component molecules dissociate. From these studies, deductions are made about the structures of the complex salt molecules, showing that all the molecules studied shared a common tetravalent oxygen structure responsible for their dissociation. The research presented here provided previously unavailable insights into the molecular structures of hydrated ammonium salts.