366 Literary and Philosophical Society. 



Carbonic oxide .... 6 volumes. 

 Carbonic acid, CO 2 . . .6+16 ,, = 22 



Marsh-gas, CH 4 . . , .6 + 4 ,, = 10 



Protoxide of nitrogen, NO . . 8 + 4-66 (N) (4-9) 12 '66 



' These four results belong to the early group not 

 corroborated lately, but so remarkably carrying out the 

 principle of volume in this union, giving numbers the 

 same as those of weight in chemical union, that they 

 scarcely require to be delayed. 



' I am not willing to theorise much on the results ; it is 

 here sufficient to make a good beginning. We appear to 

 have the formation of a new series of molecules made by 

 squaring our present chemical atoms, and by certain other 

 divisions peculiar to the gases themselves. Or it may be 

 that the larger molecule exists in the free gas, and chemical 

 combination breaks it up. These new and larger mole- 

 cules may lead us to the understanding of chemical combi- 

 nations in organic chemistry, and whenever there is union 

 not very firm, and may also modify some of our opinions 

 on atomic weights and the motion of gases. 



' Of course, I cannot pretend to give the result of these 

 results ; but as we have here the building up of a mole- 

 cule by volumes, so as to form an equivalent of physical 

 combination analogous to the chemical equivalent, it is 

 impossible to avoid seeing that it indicates the possi- 

 bility of our present equivalents being made up in a 

 similar manner. 



< I did not expect these numbers ; but I certainly, as my 

 previous paper showed, had in full view a necessity for 

 some connection between physical and chemical phenomena 

 more decided than we possessed.' 



