Spectra of Oxygen, Sidjyhur and Selenium. 15 



on Ozone and its properties, says expressly : " The molecules of 

 oxygen are by electricity broken up into atoms, which in statu 

 nascendi unite with other oxygen molecules, forming ozone. 

 The ozone molecules, by colliding with each other, are retrans- 

 formed into oxygen molecules." 



It would seem that, as the operations of Runge and Paschen 

 were conducted at a temperature greatly exceeding the point 

 above which ozone is able to exist (290°C.), a separation of the 

 constituents of Oxygen takes place under the influence of heat 

 and electricity. 



From a consideration of the difference of the vibration numbers 

 of the triplet and doublet lines, as given more fully later on, the 

 atomic weight of the triplet constituent is 12, and of the doublet 

 constituent 4. The former I propose to call Alphaoxygen, the 

 latter Betaoxygen. 



From a comparative table, furnished by the authors, it appears 

 that six of the triplets of Alphaoxygen and five doublets of 

 Betaoxygen coincide almost exactly with atmospheric lines. 

 One triplet and two single lines, the latter of Betaoxygen, have 

 also been observed among the bright lines of the sun's chromo- 

 sphere. It would therefore appear that both gases are present 

 in a free state either in the sun or in the earth's atmosphere, for 

 the dark lines of the sun's spectrum, caused by Oxygen, would, 

 after passing through a variable layer of terrestrial oxygen, be 

 simply intensified, while the bright lines of the chromosphere 

 would be correspondingly weakened. The preponderance of the 

 dark over the bright lines observed would thus be accounted for. 

 The presence of Alpha- and of Beta-oxygen in the sun may there- 

 fore be considered as fairly established. 



The computation of the constants according to the formula, 



^n = x + — has been effected by means of the equations, 



published by the Royal Society of Victoria in their Proceedings 

 for 1897, Vol. X. The equation of ?i may be simplified. If 

 a, b^ c, d, are the respective wave lengths of a sequence of four 



lines and a = ^ — II — ' ^ ~ '. then Jt= - 1-5 + \/ — '^• 

 {a-c){d-di ^ 4a-3 



I may also call attention here to a few misprints occurring in 

 the same paper. In the Table of Constants under x in the third 



