TO DIVISION OF THE WORK 



The following arrangement is therefore chosen as an experi- 

 ment : 



First Part : Chemical Dynamics. 

 Second Part : Chemical Statics. 



Third Part: Eelations between Properties and Com- 

 position. 



The logical advantage gained in this way is essentially that 

 in the First Part it is possible to proceed without any hypo- 

 thesis on the nature of matter, only the molecular conception 

 being made use of. Not till the Second Part does the atomic 

 hypothesis come to the front, and with it problems of con- 

 figuration. Finally comes the still very obscure problem of 

 the relation of one body to another. 



There are two points, however, that should be referred to. 

 From the logical side it may be objected that Statics is con- 

 cerned with the simpler problem, since it deals with single 

 substances at rest, whereas Dynamics deals with a complex of 

 substances in action. This objection, however, has less force 

 when one remembers that the single substance corresponds to 

 the state of equilibrium following a completed reaction and 

 indeed the simplest form of equilibrium and accordingly 

 Part II is devoted to the more detailed study of this final 

 state. 



From the paedagogic point of view, placing Dynamics first 

 can be dubious only to those chemists who are not well pre- 

 pared in Physics, and consequently have not mastery over the 

 chief lines of their own subject. 



The treatment chosen corresponds with that I have followed 

 in teaching. It consists essentially in developing each generali- 

 zation from a specially chosen concrete experimental case. On 

 this follow an exhibition as far as possible graphic of the 

 leading results, the conclusions drawn, and, lastly, theoretical 

 remarks on the generality and applicability of the conclusions. 



