370 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 
that the temperature inside a Plicker tube must be high is 
erroneous. 
These inferences are entirely borne out by the recently pub- 
lished observations of Professor Lewes upon gas flames (see Pro- 
ceedings of the Royal Society for March 7 and March 21, 1895). 
He finds that the first group of chemical changes which the issuing 
gas undergoes are brought about by radiant heat ; in other words, by 
electro-magnetic waves in the ether acting on those electrons which 
are concerned in the chemical changes, and which, from their not 
being affected by convected heat, must be associated with Bd, and 
not with Ba events. In this way 
acetylene, methane, hydrogen 
are produced. Of these, acetylene is the one that, on decom- 
position, emits almost all the light. Professor Lewes finds that, 
on attaining a situation where the temperature is sufficient, the 
acetylene resolves into carbon and hydrogen, which subsequently 
combine with oxygen ; and that in the brief interval one or both 
of them emit more light than belongs to the temperature of that 
situation ; in‘ other words, that one or more electrons associated with 
Bb motions have been roused into great activity by the decom- 
position, and have time to radiate abundantly, probably a long 
time from the molecular standpoint, before either they have 
expended their excess of energy, or the combination with oxygen 
takes place, whichever event comes first. 
The summary of the results of this recent investigation have 
been here translated into molecular language, to serve as an 
example of the additional insight which we may already hope to 
gain into the chemistry of nature by adopting the molecular 
standpoint ; and whenever the secret of the motions of electrons 
within molecules becomes known, this insight will doubtless be 
vastly increased. ‘Through the spectroscope we seem to be on the 
borderland of this great discovery. 
Reference has been made to chemical reaction, friction, and 
the disruption of a crystal, as events which may bring into a state 
of activity some of the electrons associated with Bd motions. 
Another event which seems to have this effect is the gaseous 
