1086 



cules will possess an energy < vh, and that for them every value 

 of the energy is equally probable. So in this region the chance that 

 the energy lies between s and g -{- rf? will be represented bj i'\^r)r/f. 

 In the region where s > vh I shall continue to assume that the 



8 



function is represented by e ^ y^{ev) ds '). If we now put : 



1=^ F{ev)dB^ \ e ^yiisv)de (21) 



vA 



the equilibrium constant of a chemical conversion is represented by: 



As 



K = e ^ ni . . . . . . . (206) 



In this Af represents the difference in potential energy which 

 would occur when the substances passed from the compounds of 

 the lefthand member of the reaction equation into those of the 

 righthand member. In order to obtain the energy amount As then, 

 it would however be necessary that the atoms in the compounds 

 always occupied the positions of minimum potential energy, so in 

 the centres of the quasi elastic regions. Ill represents a fraction with 

 the product of the quantities /, referring to substances in the lefthand 

 member in the numerator, and with that in the righthand member 

 in the denominator. The equation is evidently nothing but a general- 

 isation of {20a), in which besides the 7's are determined in agreement 

 with the supposition of the zero point energy. 



Now 



dlK A? ^ I dl 



==H [-2 (22) 



dO ^ d-" I dO ^ ^ 



On the other hand the law of the equilibrium change requires: 



T 



MK Q ^'+^Jf'^^ 



(22a) 



dd <9^ 6»^ 



Further we have: 



Q^ = {A8 + 2krh) (23) 



1) Besides iu my previous communications this function had already been 

 introduced by Ehrenfest, Ann. d. Phys. IV, 36 p. 91, Ann. 1911, which paper 

 I have not sufficiently taken into account in my previous considerations ; the same 

 refers to Poincare's paper, Journal de Physique theor. et appl. V serie II p. 5. 

 Ann. 1912. 



