The Tendencies of Chemistry 



Moissan chemical reactions were simply a means; 

 his object was to obtain new bodies, or to 

 produce, under new or more favourable con- 

 ditions, previously-known bodies. 



Though he set himself a limited task he 

 completely fulfilled it, and there is a lesson to 

 be learned from the results which he obtained. 

 Until recently there has been an undue tendency 

 to think that at very low temperatures matter 

 must be more or less congealed and incapable 

 of manifesting its activity in the form of chemical 

 reactions, and that, on the other hand, at very 

 high temperatures bodies are dissociated by heat 

 and remain a mere aggregate of simple elements 

 incapable of reaction. We know, to-day, that 

 such is not the case, and that, unlike life, chemical 

 activity is not confined within narrow limits. 

 Matter presents different forms of equilibrium 

 at different temperatures; and the number and 

 variety of possible chemical combinations is 

 thus so enormously increased that we are forced 

 to find slight and insufficient the old law of 

 simple ratios, which pretended to limit the 

 number and the variety of molecular con- 

 structions. 



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