PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS SECTION B. 49 



B. Nascent hydrogen in this system is merely atomic as 

 opposed to molecular hydrogen, i.e., it is half of whatever molecular 

 hydrogen (hydrogen gas) is conceived to be. Consequently it will 

 clear matters up if we consider a simple case, such as that of adding 

 sodium-amalgam (containing very little sodium) to a solution of 

 ferric chloride. In the first half of the action, assuming sufficient 

 dissociation of the water, nascent hydrogen is formed according to 

 the equation, which used to be written: — 



NaHg + H+ + OH' = Na' + Hg + H + OH' 



Neutral Hydrion Hydrox- Sodium Neutral "nascent" Hydrox- 

 Metal idion ion Metal idion 



Similarly the second equation, according to the former dispensa- 

 tion, was : — 



H + Fe" " = H+ + Fe' ' 



Nascent, neutral Ferric ion hydrion ferrous ion 



pseudometallic 



Now on the. modern theory, hydrion is the absolute proton or funda- 

 mental unit of matter, and its positive charge is inherent in it 

 and inseparable from it. It follows therefore that "nascent 

 hydrogen" is not uncharged H, but is neutral, viz., H+', i.e., 

 hydrion with an electron joined to it. (See Fig. 1.) In order, 

 therefore, to be able to re-write the first equation in the modern 

 way, we must provide an electron, and the equation becomes: — 



The second equation then becomes : — 



H+' + Fe ' ' ' = H+ + Fe ' " " ' = H+ + Fe " ' 



With regard to the last step it is to be remembered that 3 dots 

 means a majority of 3 positive charges: the addition of the 

 (negative) electron reduces the majority to 2. The dots used for 

 positive valency thus merely mean shortage of electrons. 



C. Hydrogen gas or molecular hydrogen is known from its 

 Cp/Cv ratio to have a long molecule, far removed from roundness, 

 and since it results from "nascent hydrogen" without addition or 

 subtraction of electricity, its formula must be (H+') 2 , viz. (H +// H+), 

 i.e., it consists of two pairs of entities, one being hydrion and the 

 other the electron. Now the spatial arrangement of these 4 things 

 cannot be square or tetrahedral, otherwise the molecule would not 

 be "long." Tt must therefore be either a straight line or a narrow- 

 diamond-shaped figure, viz., either (H+ " H+) or (H+ / H+). 



We now meet with the chemical fact that lithium hydride 

 exists and that it is at first glance composed of two positive sub- 

 stances Li and H, which is impossible owing to electrical repulsion. 

 Further, in both the above formulations of hydrogen gas the 

 electrons are close together, which also is contrary to hypothesis 

 since both "are negative and would repel one another. Lithium 



