Royal Society. 47 



of water out of detonating gas, but should be obliged to con- 

 sider the oxidation as occasioned by the ozone being formed 

 under electrical influence out of aqueous vapour and oxygen. 

 In other terms, we are obliged to ascribe the oxidation to 

 the same cause from which we derive the decomposition of 

 iodide of potassium, the transformation of the yellow prus- 

 siate of potash into the red one, the destruction of vegetable 

 colouring matters, the turning blue of the resin of guaiacum, 

 the transformation of the protoxide of lead into the peroxide, 

 &c, brought about by the electrical brush. Now, as it can 

 hardly be doubted any longer that the chemical effects just 

 stated are due to ozone produced by electricity, the conjec- 

 ture, according to which free hydrogen may also be oxidized 

 by electrical ozone, seems to be very probable. Indeed, if po- 

 tassium, the hydrogen of colouring matters, the oxide of lead, 

 &c, are oxidized by the oxygen of electrical ozone, why 

 should free hydrogen make an exception to the rule? 



But however that may be, the subject under discussion 

 seems to be interesting, and I add, still obscure enough to 

 offer an inducement to chemists to apply themselves to its 

 elucidation by further investigations. The matter merits our 

 attention the more that it bears so close a relation to that 

 series of chemical pheenomena which are called catalytical 

 actions, and which certainly belong to the most enigmatical 

 facts of our science. 



XII. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 



[Continued from vol. xxviii. p. 416.] 



Feb. 12, " A PRACTICAL Extension of the Application of the 

 1846. -^"*- Law of Mortality announced by B. Gompertz, 

 Esq., in the Philosophical Transactions for 1823." By A. M. Drach, 

 Esq. Communicated by B. Gompertz, Esq., F.R.S. 



In endeavouring to verify the theoretical law of mortality, an- 

 nounced by Mr. Gompertz, by means of constants derived from the 

 results of the English census of 1841, which are contained in the 

 sixth Annual Report of the Registrar-General, and which furnish an 

 extended basis for computation, the author found the accordance 

 between the two to be so remarkably close as to justify the assump- 

 tion that Mr. Gompertz 's formula expresses the true law of the de- 

 crement of human life. The paper is occupied with the analytical 

 details of this investigation. 



" On Spontaneous Nitrification." By C. F. Schcenbein, Professor 

 of Chemistry in the University of Bale. Communicated by Michael 

 Faraday, Esq., D.C.L., F.R.S., &e. 



From various facts adduced by the author, he is led to the con- 



