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velocities proves conclusively that equation (4) applies to a great 
number of reactions that proceed with measurable velocities. Parti- 
cularly it has been ascertained by numerous measurements that 4, 
and #, are really constants in reactions that proceed normally *), 
so they are not quantities that depend on the time. If the influences 
which we mentioned, made themselves so strongly felt that equation 
(2) had to be rejected, this result would be impossible. For as the 
mixture more and more approaches the state of equilibrium during 
the reaction, and at last reaches it, the difference between the entropy 
which really exists at any moment (Bonrzmann’s H-funetion) and the 
entropy of the state of equilibrium will continually decrease, and at 
last become zero; and this remark applies to all the other mean 
values occurring in equation (2). But then also the 4, and #, would 
necessarily become dependent on the time, and not only the He, 
and He as experiment teaches. So we must conclude that the 
systems with measurable velocities of veaction may be considered as 
quasi-stationary systems, for which not only an entropy, a thermo- 
dynamic potential ete. exist, but for which these quantities (leaving 
the influence of the concentration unconsidered, of course) even differ 
immeasurably little from the corresponding quantities in the state of 
equilibrium. Now an experimentally firm basis has been given as 
a support for us in our further examination and development of 
equation (2). More particularly it has now been proved, that #, and 
i’, can really oniy depend on quantities which are constant during 
the reaction as we supposed in § 1. However more ensues from 
this supposition than has been proved yet. We come back to this 
in § 9. 
§ 3. Our second step is now to show that equation (2) differs from 
the equation (11) of the preceding paper holding for ‘osmotic 
temperatures” in this that here /’, does not comprise the pure tempe- 
rature functions of the thermodynamic potential with negative sign, 
as it did there. For the equation of the equilibrium requires the 
equality of the sums of the thermodynamic potentials of the two 
systems, and so for rarefied gases : 
1) We mean here by “abnormal” reactions of course reactions for which further 
investigation makes it plausible that the imconstancy of k is to be ascribed to 
after reactions, by-reactions, catalysis or loo great concentrations. 
