CARBON DIOXIDE OF THE OCEAN 587 
The discovery that this constituent of the atmosphere is an 
important dynamic factor among geological agencies has led us 
to investigate the eighteen potential atmospheres of carbon 
dioxide in the ocean. This at once leads us to a consideration 
of the chemistry of the ocean, and here we find that the indefi- 
niteness of our notions upon this subject is not so much due to 
lack of data, for that has been collected by individuals and 
by well equipped expeditions, as to erroneous conceptions of 
the relations and reactions that obtain between the several 
constituents of a mixed solution. Important investigations 
involving large outlays of time and money have been rendered 
nearly valueless, because they were based upon assumptions 
which were accepted without proof, and which are now 
known to be false. The importance of the first principles 
which govern solution and precipitation in such a solvent 
as water (and which have but recently been formulated ) 
justify a review of some of them as an aid to the interpreta- 
tion of the reactions taking place in that great laboratory the 
ocean." 
Mass action.2—I\t will be remembered that Berthollet in 1803 
was the first to conceive of chemical reactions as governed by 
equilibrium, dependent both on the mass and the affinity of the 
constituents. The value of his discovery was not realized 
because he unfortunately did not believe chemical compounds to 
have definite compositions. 
In 1864 Goldberg and Waage re-stated the law of mass 
action, which may be developed as follows. Let us consider 
any two substances, A and B uniting to form two other sub- 
stances C and D.3 
All simple reactions that have been carefully studied have 
been shown to be reversible, therefore, as soon as any of C and 
‘Complete discussion of the laws of dilute solution, etc., may be found in any of 
the up-to-date text-books on physical chemistry. 
2,W. NERNST: Theo. Chem., pp. 353-455, etc., 117-150. OSTWALD’s Outlines of 
Chemistry. 
3 GOLDBERG and WAAGE: Videnskabernes Selskabs Forhandlinger, 1864. 
