1908-9. ] ON THE ORIGIN OF LIFE ON THE GLOBE. 437 
sank below 900° C., the sulphur dioxide, and trioxide, the phosphorus 
as phosphates and the sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium 
compounds condensed and there remained in the atmosphere water 
vapour, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide 
which left the pressure of the atmosphere about 270 times what it is 
now. When the temperature fell to 350° C. condensation took place 
until only a pressure of 190 atmospheres mained and as it fell lower 
still further condensation occurred and a further reduction of pressure 
obtained but it must at least have been 30 times the present pressure 
when the temperature was about 120°C. In this enormous pressure 
there must have been countless condensations and the water condensed 
must as often have boiled away from the hot rock crust as soon as 
deposition occurred. As these condensations were obtaining in the 
high pressure atmosphere there must have been electrical discharges of 
enormous voltage which would cause the formation of ammonia, and as 
carbonyl.chloride must have been present urea must have been formed. 
There must have been present also in the atmosphere hydrocarbons of 
all kinds for the action of water on the hot rock crust must have formed 
them from the metallic carbides such as carbide of iron and of calcium, 
as probably happens to-day also in the production of petroleum 
compounds in connection with hot subterranean rocks. Since the 
temperature was high the hydrocarbons, being volatilizable, diffused in 
the atmosphere and in conjunction with chlorine vapour, carbonyl chloride 
and carbon dioxide innumerable syntheses would occur, many of them 
being of the chain type and with the carbon dioxide the carbonyl 
chloride and the ammonia present amino-acids would be formed, especi- 
ally when the temperature sank below 100°C. The amino acids would 
also occur in the chlorinated condition which would facilitate, as in the 
laboratory, synthesis of polypeptides and as these would obtain in the 
condensations of aqueous vapor the synthesis of proteins from the 
polypeptides would occur in the chlorine-containing water. 
This formation of amino acids and their synthesis to form proteins 
would take place countless millions of times and in every variety of 
constitution until one giving the right composition resulted in ultrami- 
croscopic particles which, endowed with the chemical properties of ultra- 
microscopic organisms, would thrive and reproduce themselves in water 
which contained amino-acids and which would thus supply readily 
assimilable food to the newly formed living structures. 
Just at what temperature such a synthesis and such an origin of 
ultramicroscopic organisms occurred it is difficult to say but it is possible 
