106 ORIGIN AND NATURE OF LIFE 



represents conventionally by open and closed 

 chains of atoms, and these he calls fatty or 

 aliphatic groups, and benzene or aromatic 

 groups, respectively. Representing the carbon 

 atom by the letter C and its four dynamic 

 affinities by short lines, which, when they run 

 from one carbon atom to another, show centres 

 in interplay with one another, and when they 

 are attached at one end only show free centres 

 open to combine with other atomic groupings 

 or atoms, then the two types of six-grouped 

 carbon atoms may be illustrated by these two 

 formulae : — 



Aliphatic. Aromatic. 



II 

 C 



/ \ 



I I I I I I =c c= 



-C-C-C-C-C-C- I I 



I I I 1 I I =c c = 



\ / 

 c 



II 



(1) ( 2 ) 



The aromatic group in this simplest form 

 is very unstable, and becomes more stable 

 when each alternate interplay between the 

 carbon atoms becomes doubled, thus : — 



