The Literature of Ozone, etc. \\\ 



division belong the fats of the scries C n H211-2 2 . Radziszewski 

 explains in like manner the phosphorescence of organisms, since 

 he finds in them a fat, together with an alkaline body. And in 

 one of these, the Pelagia noctiluca, he thinks he has demonstrated 

 the presence of atomic oxygen, by showing that the Petagia de- 

 velops a bine color when placed on porous plates moistened with 

 potassium iodide, starch paste, and tincture of gnaiacum. 



II. Nature and Properties of Ozone and Hydrogen- 

 Peroxide. 



The recent remarkable discoveries concerning the properties 

 of ozone have strengthened the grounds on which the hypothesis 

 of the nature of ozone stands. Recently, a lengthy series of 

 memoirs has been written by Traube, in which he controverts 

 both the present theory, as to the constitution of hydrogen 

 peroxide, and the views now entertained of its action as an oxi- 

 dizing agent. Hitherto, chemists have looked upon hydrogen 

 peroxide as oxidized water, from the fact that it yields up one 

 of its atoms of oxygen with great readiness, and therefore acts 

 as an energetic oxidizing agent. In order that w T ater may take 

 up another atom of oxygen, a molecule of oxygen or an oxide 

 must be decomposed, or an atom of atomic oxygen must enter 

 into direct combination. Thus — 



H— 0— H + = H— 0— 0— H. 



Traube, on the other hand, has brought forward a number of 

 experiments to show that peroxide of hydrogen is reduced oxy- 

 gen; that is to say, the oxygen in the ]->eroxide enters as a whole 

 molecule, and as a molecule exists in combination with two 

 atoms of hydrogen. But whilst Traube states the above as his 

 hypothesis, and^that both the atoms of oxygen are combined in 

 the same manner, and with the same degree of chemical attrac- 

 tion, yet the structural formula which he gives is the same as 

 the one ordinarily adopted; nor is the fact that one only of the 

 oxygen atoms is readily parted with, explained by his theory any 

 more satisfactorily than by the ordinary one. Moreover, the 

 experiments, as detailed by Traube, are in opposition to the 

 results many times obtained by the author in their repetition. 



Without detailing these results in this place, it will suffice to 



