( 762 ) 
By positive autocatalysis must then be understood an increase in 
the intensity of the catalyzer during the progress of the reaction ; by 
negative autocatalysis a decrease in that intensity. 
2. As examples of reactions in which autocatalysis occurs, may 
be mentioned the spontaneous transformations of solutions of y-hydroxy- 
acids into their lactones. The acid is split up into ions and according 
to Paut Henry’), who studied the transformation of y-hydroxybutyric and 
hydroxyvalerie acids, these would convert the unaltered portion 
of the hydroxyacid and therefore act only catalytically. I have put 
to myself the question whether these transformations may be consi- 
dered as being ion-reactions, as it seems to me that it is more rational 
to view them in this way and as such to bring them within the 
laws of the mass-action, as we are ignorant as to the true nature 
of catalysis. Profiting by the researches of Pau, Henry, I have 
arrived at a very satisfactory result. 
According to this view, the hydroxy-acid is at any moment in 
equilibrium with its ions and these are converted into the lactone 
according to the scheme: 
y-hydroxy-acid = positive ions + negative ions I 
positive ions + negative ions = lactone + water I 
As has been stated, Pau Henry thinks that in this transformation 
the non-split portion of the hydroxy-acid only changes into lactone 
and that the ions exercise only a catalytic action, for he observes, 
that on addition of HCl or H,SO, the dissociation-degree of the 
hydroxy-acid is diminished, that is to say, the equilibrium is shifted 
towards the side of the hydroxy-acid and the concentration of the 
negative ions of the hydroxy-acid diminishes and if now the dissociated 
portion of the acid were converted, the reaction-velocity would not 
rise quite so much under these circumstances. It seems to me that 
this argument is not correct; the concentration of the negative ions 
of the hydroxy-acid diminishes by addition of H-ions in the form of 
HCl, but on the other hand the concentration of the positive H-ions 
rises enormously and in order to construct the reaction-equation we 
must multiply these two concentrations by each other if we view 
the reaction as an ion-reaction. 
3. In the first place the spontaneous transformations of the y-hydroxy- 
acids must be considered. In constructing reaction-equations it must 
be borne in mind that the transformations of y-hydroxy-acids into 
lactones is not complete. 
LZ phys. Chem. X, p. 111. 
