DALY. — THE NATURE OF VOLCANIC ACTION. 89 



Heats of Reaction. 



CH4 + '2i).i = CO, + "iUjO +195,200 cals. 

 COs + Hj = CO + \U) + 9,iKS0 cals. 

 3Fe() + 11,0 = FcsO* 4- Ha + l.'),4()() cals. 

 3FeO + CO2 = l"Vs04 + (JO + (5,000 cals. 

 Nils + HCl = XH4CI + 42,500 cals.37 

 CO + = CO2 + G.S,040 cals. 



In addition, there is the possibility that a large supply of energy was 

 potentialized at the high temperatures of the primitive earth and that 

 this energy becomes converted into magmatic heat under the conditions 

 of a volcanic vent. Becker has suggested this in the case of uranium. 3* 

 Arrhenius has [troposed the hypothesis that the heat of the sun is 

 supplied principally through the break-up of endothennic compounds.^^ 

 Warren has .shown that, at high pressure and temperature, steam is 

 partially converted into the strongly endothermic ozone and hytlrogen 

 peroxide. **• Lines indicating cyanogen are found in the spectra of 

 some stars and comets, and Arrhenius attributes the nitrogen of the 

 air largely to the dissociation of volcanic cyanogen. In the formation 

 of a gram-molecule of this gas, 05,700 calories are potentialized. The 

 dissociation of chlorine involves the absorption of 113,000 calories.*^ 

 Dissociation of other gaseous elements means heat absorption of the 

 same order of magnitude. When ferric oxide and iron sulphide react 

 to form ferrous oxide and sulphur dioxide, 80,(540 calories are ab-sorbed. 

 When carbon and carbon dioxide react to produce carbon monoxide, 

 3.s,soo calories are absorbed. When steam and C react to form carbon 

 monoxide and free hydrogen, 28,900 calories are absorbed. 



In addition to the heat evolved by the di.ssociation of endothermic 

 compounds, another source of great energy is to be found in the com- 

 bination of the freed, "nascent" elements with other constituents of 



" Though ammonium chloride may not be able to form within the mufoiia 

 column of a volcanic conduit, it docs form at the surface, where (he loss of 

 heat chiefly occurs. Similarly, an)m<jnia may form from its elements in the 

 relatively cool cru.st of the lava lake in a crater, also producing heat at the 

 zone of radiation. 



" G. V. Becker, Bull. Geol. Soc. America, 19, 11(5 (1908). The final yield 

 of radium is about 2,000 millions of calories per gram, or nearly 250,(XX) timea 

 the tlirrmal valu<' of a gram of carbon burnt in oxygi-n. 



" S, Arrhenius, Worlds in the Mailing, New York, 91 (1908). 



*" H. N. Warren, Chem. News, 77, 192 (1S9S). When one gram of oxygen 

 is c()nvert<'d into one gram of ozone, 7.")() calories are alisorbed. 



" M. Pier, Zeit. fiir phys. Chemie, 62, i'.S.') (HtOS). Kkliolm has suggested 

 that the formation of "elements" may partly explain solar energy. 



