408 Transactions . — Chen listry . 



them, — e.f/., theii- annular markings being hills of oil, and the ground in 

 which they are set a resin ; and that, further, I stated these figures to be 

 caused by the resin dissolved in these oils leaving them for the water, the 

 surface of which they monopolize to the comparative exclusion of the oil, 

 owing to their affinities for it being greater than those of oil for the same 

 liquid. Now, granted all this, and I have not yet heard of anyone dis- 

 puting it, the explanation of the problem set us — the nuclear action of oils 

 in super-saturated solutions — becomes an easy matter. 



Such solutions, as they are most likely to be made, are super- saturated 

 to the highest degree possible at a given temperature, in short are saturated 

 super- saturated solutions ; and so, for the initiation of the change in view, 

 require divesting of but the minutest portion of water, and this will hardly 

 fail to be immediately effected by the application thereto of any old vege- 

 table or animal oil, as such contain resinous matter much of which is so 

 far metamorphosed as to be of a decidedly acidic nature. The affinities for 

 water of these resiuoid matters may be feeble, but they certainly have to 

 contend with affinities also feeble ; nor, it should be remarked, is the result- 

 ing product entirely or even notably soluble in water, or such resin might 

 behave only as salts, which when added thereto are ineffective as nuclei ; 

 but water is taken away from the solution to be incorporated with such 

 matters in a solid form, and so a portion of salt is liberated to form the 

 nucleus for a general solidification. But it should follow as a consequence 

 that, if resin is the cause of nuclear action, a freshly made oil may not 

 have nuclear action of the kind at all ; and this is exactly what we are told 

 by these investigators, they find that while "turpentine old but bright 

 and clear acted powerfully as a nucleus " it afforded when distilled a hquid 

 which was not then active. Another example they give is that of an old oil 

 of bitter almonds which they experimented with. This oil though strongly 

 nuclear gave a distillate which was non-nuclear ; and again we learn from 

 them that the oils of commerce as we have them, even those of the same 

 kind and presumably of the same quality apparently, any way having sur- 

 face tension very similar m degree, vary in the same way that the oils 

 named above do. 



Now all the cases occurring in which oils are non-nuclear are explained 

 I believe by my theory upon either the very probable supposition or the fact 

 that they do not contain resinous matter ; but these cases are certainly not 

 explained by Professor Tomhnson and his associate. They show that in the 

 case of active and inactive oil of turpentine then* tensions were to each 

 other as near as 2-2 to 2*4, a difference admittedly insufficient to account 

 for their mutual diversity in relation to the saline solution upon this tension 

 theory. With all deference therefore to the opinion of these eminent 



