ON CHEMICAL ENERGY. 237 



it is however to be accomplished in a second or in several thousand 

 years is a circumstance over which Ave have full control. 



The name " catalytic bodies" has been given to substances which 

 cause chemical reactions without experiencing any change themselves. 

 We will now change this definition so as to read thus: Catalytic sub- 

 stances are those which modify the rapidity of a definite chemical reac- 

 tion without changing their own content of energy. To place a cata- 

 lytic substance into the reacting bodies and to remove it requires the- 

 oretically no work. This proves that within the strict province of the 

 law of energy there still remains room for the greatest variation in the 

 temporal extent of the phenomena. 



This peculiar circumstance has its foundation in the fact that in the 

 expression of most degrees of energy time is not mentioned, and that 

 therefore the eiiuation of energy does not determine the extent of 

 time involved in the phenomena. 



One exception is made in the case of kinetic energy, which depends 

 upon the rapidity. What has been stated above does not, therefore, 

 apply to this form of energy. Upon what the action of catalytic sub- 

 stances depends is still a mystery, the solution of which is the more 

 difficult, since it can only be explained by means of new principles, 

 which are beyond the law of energy. At present we must be satisfied 

 with the knowledge that it is a fact and must seek to become acquainted 

 with the laws involved. A beginning has already been made; from a 

 large number of various investigations it has been found that many 

 chemical reactions, which usually take place very slowly, are hastened 

 by the presence of free acids; or, to speak in the language of the mod- 

 ern theories, by the presence of free hydrogen-ions, and that this action 

 is proportional to the concentration of the latter. The greatest variety 

 of phenomena have been examined in this respect, partly by me, partly 

 by my pupils, and I have as yet found no case where this statement 

 did not apply. Free hydrogen-ions are therefore without doubt exceed- 

 ingly active catalysators of a general character. 



At the same time numberless specific catalysators exist which act 

 only upon certain phenomena. These are the ferments organized and 

 unorganized. These also are unable to do more than to change the 

 rapidity of certain reactions in one or the other respect, and all 

 attempts to explain their action must be based upon this their sole 

 property. The laws which they ol)ey appear to be of an extremely com- 

 plicated nature, especially with the more complex constituted ferments. 

 This is probably due to the fact that they undergo a change themselves 

 while infiueucing a certain chemical reaction. 



I need not show in an extended manner that the wonderful action of 

 living organisms can be traced to a regular impulse upon the chemical 

 processes which take place among their constituents in accordance with 

 general chemical laws, and that these again may be traced to the 

 action of catalytic substances, If the rapidity of reactiou in a muscltj 



