68 THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 



to 130 C. for 10". One of the tubes of this last 

 series was accidentally broken, so that there were 

 in all 43 new tubes, 23 containing the yellow solu- 

 tion and 20 the colourless solution. 



In these experiments only two or three drops 

 of the dilute sodium silicate were used to the ounce 

 of distilled water. In the preparation of most of 

 the yellow solutions I employed some of the sup- 

 ply of last year, as with it, in many of the tubes 

 numbered 80-100, some of the most varied organ- 

 isms had been found; while the new sample 

 of sodium silicate was used for other of the 

 yellow solutions, and for all the colourless 

 solutions. 



In preparing these latter yellow solutions, I at 

 first used only two drops of the dilute silicate to 

 the ounce; with the result that, after the heating 

 process, the fluids were of the right pale port-wine 

 colour, but with only the smallest trace of sedi- 

 ment. In the making of other solutions, there- 

 fore, with the intention of only slightly increasing 

 the amount of deposit, I subsequently used three 

 drops, instead of two, of this same dilute solution 

 to the ounce; but, after the heating process, was 

 disappointed to find that the solutions had all been 

 decomposed, each tube showing a copious yellow- 



