﻿176 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  in 
  one 
  way 
  or 
  another 
  to 
  our 
  life 
  activities. 
  From 
  this 
  practical 
  

   viewpoint, 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  coal, 
  iron 
  ore, 
  sugar, 
  

   etc., 
  has 
  its 
  ultimate 
  interest 
  in 
  guiding 
  us 
  in 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  such 
  

   materials 
  to 
  the 
  manifold 
  needs 
  of 
  our 
  complicated 
  physical 
  and 
  

   physiological 
  economy. 
  

  

  The 
  eminent 
  physicist, 
  Boltzmann, 
  pointed 
  out 
  in 
  his 
  classical 
  ex- 
  

   position 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  law 
  of 
  thermodynamics 
  that 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  

   existence 
  is 
  essentially 
  not 
  a 
  fight 
  for 
  the 
  raw 
  materials 
  that 
  are 
  

   abundant 
  in 
  earth, 
  sky, 
  and 
  sea, 
  nor 
  for 
  the 
  energies 
  as 
  such, 
  but 
  for 
  

   the 
  potential 
  energies 
  as 
  in 
  coal, 
  sugar, 
  and 
  meat. 
  Thus 
  energetics 
  

   commands 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  attention 
  in 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  chemi- 
  

   cal 
  phenomena 
  exhibited 
  by 
  the 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  matter, 
  and 
  matter 
  

   is 
  but 
  a 
  medium 
  for 
  the 
  manifestation 
  of 
  energy. 
  

  

  If 
  our 
  earth 
  were 
  an 
  isolated 
  system 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  im- 
  

   ports 
  and 
  no 
  exports, 
  our 
  state 
  of 
  affairs 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  different 
  

   from 
  that 
  which 
  now 
  presents 
  itself 
  to 
  us. 
  According 
  to 
  our 
  experi- 
  

   ence, 
  formulated 
  in 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  thermodynamics, 
  in 
  all 
  naturally 
  

   occurring 
  transformations 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  a 
  condi- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  stable 
  equilibrium. 
  Thus, 
  the 
  substances 
  on 
  the 
  earth 
  are 
  

   constantly 
  tending 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  a 
  condition 
  of 
  greatest 
  entropy, 
  

   meaning 
  " 
  rundownness." 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  metals, 
  for 
  instance, 
  are 
  oxid- 
  

   ized 
  to 
  their 
  most 
  stable 
  oxides 
  and 
  converted 
  into 
  other 
  com- 
  

   pounds 
  which 
  under 
  existing 
  conditions 
  are 
  extremely 
  stable. 
  Our 
  

   ores 
  are 
  those 
  stable 
  oxides 
  or 
  salts. 
  Although 
  this 
  condition 
  has 
  

   not 
  been 
  uniformly 
  attained 
  in 
  the 
  earth, 
  while 
  there 
  are 
  still, 
  for 
  

   example, 
  natural 
  deposits 
  of 
  metallic 
  copper 
  and 
  silver, 
  yet, 
  unques- 
  

   tionably 
  that 
  is 
  the 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  chemical 
  changes 
  are 
  

   proceeding. 
  

  

  Now 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  substances, 
  before 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  use 
  of, 
  

   require 
  certain 
  chemical 
  changes 
  which 
  are 
  a 
  reversal 
  of 
  the 
  natu- 
  

   rally 
  occurring 
  ones. 
  The 
  ores, 
  oxides 
  or 
  salts 
  of 
  the 
  metals, 
  must 
  be 
  

   reduced 
  to 
  the 
  elemental 
  metals. 
  This, 
  of 
  course, 
  is 
  the 
  reversal 
  of 
  

   the 
  processes 
  occurring 
  in 
  nature, 
  and 
  to 
  accomplish 
  such 
  a 
  reversal 
  

   work 
  must 
  be 
  done, 
  energy 
  must 
  be 
  supplied. 
  

  

  If, 
  then, 
  the 
  tendency 
  is 
  to 
  attain 
  the 
  dead 
  level 
  — 
  this 
  state 
  of 
  

   equilibrium 
  on 
  our 
  earth 
  — 
  what 
  are 
  the 
  agencies 
  or 
  sources 
  of 
  

   energy 
  that 
  counteract 
  this 
  tendency 
  and 
  make 
  possible 
  the 
  reverse 
  

   reaction, 
  the 
  pumping 
  of 
  water 
  uphill, 
  as 
  it 
  were? 
  

  

  In 
  searching 
  for 
  such 
  possible 
  sources 
  of 
  energy 
  which 
  might 
  

   serve 
  this 
  purpose, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  a 
  little 
  heat 
  is 
  probably 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  from 
  the 
  interior, 
  another 
  very 
  small 
  amount 
  

   is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  certain 
  radioactive 
  chemical 
  changes, 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  

   the 
  tides 
  contributes 
  some, 
  and 
  a 
  further 
  amount 
  is 
  received 
  from 
  

   radiation 
  from 
  the 
  stars 
  and 
  moon. 
  But 
  these 
  amounts 
  are 
  quite 
  

  

  