Dana, James Dwight (1813—1895), professeur d'histoire naturelle, plus tard de géologie et de minéralogie au Yale College, à New Haven. Les deux lettres reproduites ici, l’une de Dana, l’autre de Berzelius, sont datées de 1835 resp. 1836 et traitent de la nomenclature chimique.
Sir,
I have taken the liberty to send you the accompanying manuscript on Chemical Nomenclature, being anxious to obtain the criticisms of one so distinguished in the science, previous to publishing it. Your interest in the subject will, I doubt not, excuse me for presuming to trouble you with a perusal of it. I appear to myself to be almost guilty of presumption in attempting to write on a subject which has received the attention of one so much more capable, But it is to be expected that a few improvements should have become apparent, since the Science is so rapidly advancing, and particulary as the publication of your system took place on the eve of the very important discovery, that Chlorids, Bromids etc. are to be ranked with Oxyds, as bases, and that each class of bases has its corresponding class of acids, with which they form corresponding classes of salts.
