Dr. Schoiibeiu on the various Conditions of Oxygen. 25 



rbO + also becomes deozonized, and on that account elimi- 

 nated. The same deoxidizing effect is produced upon PbO^ by 

 the ozonized oil of turpentine and the peroxide of hydrogen (to 

 me = HO + 6). To show these remarkable effects in a simple 

 manner, I employ a test-paper which is impregnated, i. e. coloured 

 with minute quantities of peroxide of lead. If moist strips of 

 such paper be suspended in strongly ozonized air, within a few 

 hours they will be completely bleached, i. e. PbO^ is reduced to 

 PbO. The said test-paper, on being put in ozonized oil of tur- 

 ])entine or peroxide of hydrogen, undergoes the same change. 

 The strips enclosed will show you that effect. Now these curious 

 facts seem to me to furnish ground for a very strange conjecture, 

 which, extraordinary and startling as it may sound, I cannot 

 help communicating to you. I suspect that there are two kinds 

 of active oxygen standing to each other in the relation of alge- 

 braic magnitudes of contrary signs, i. e. such as will neutralize 

 each other into inactive oxygen if brought together in equal quan- 

 tities. Now, supposing that there are three kinds of oxygen, 0, 

 0, O, and assummg that HO^ is = HO + 0,andFbO-^ = PbO + 0, 

 th(jse peroxides, on being brought into contact with one anotljer, 

 must be catalyzed, because the of the one neutralizes the of 

 the other peroxide into 0, which, as such, can no longer remain 

 associated either with PbO or HO. For the reduction of PbO^ 

 to PbO being effected by free O, I am inclined to account in the 

 same way, i. e. by assuming opposite states of the two portions of 

 oxygen which act upon each other. In the two isomeric and 

 crystallographically polar acids of Pasteur, which neutralize each 

 other into what they call racemic acids, we have a case of an 

 analogous kind. 



I am of course far from believing that the facts above stated 

 necessarily lead to such a conclusion, but for the present I can- 

 not conceive any other hypothesis by which the deoxidizing effect 

 produced by free 6, ozonized oil of turpentine, or peroxide of hy- 

 drogen upon PbO^ can be better accounted for. Be this, how- 

 ever, as it may, as we philosophers cannot do any notable work 

 without having some hypothetical view in our heads, I shall 

 place myself for some time under the guidance of the conjecture 

 alluded to, and see what can be made out of it. If it leads me 

 to the discovery of some interesting facts, I shall not feel ashamed 

 of it, tliough it may turn out to be fallacious. We are but short- 

 sighted men, and must be content with finding out a little bit 

 of truth ill wading tlu'ough a sea of errors. 



You know it is an old notion of mine, that common oxygen, 

 51S such, cannot enter into any chemical combination, and iiuist 

 undergo a change of condition, i. e. become ozonized before it 

 acquires oxidizing powers. The oxidation of phosphorus, oil (.f 



