22 The Prodnction of Peroxide of Hydrogen. 



HI. — Upon the Production of Peroxide of Hydrogen, as loell as 

 of Ozone, by the action of moist Phosphorus iqjon Air. 



BY ALBERT R. LEEDS. 

 Read March 8th, 18S0. 



In various preceding ])iipers, and more especially in one enti- 

 tled "Upon Ammonium Nitrite, and npon the By-products 

 obtained in the Ozonation of Air by Moist Phosphorus," 

 (J. Am. Cbem. Soc, I, p. 145 ; Ann. der Chem., CO, p. 280), 

 I have strongly insisted upon the fact that Peroxide of Hydro- 

 gen always accompanies the ozone generated by the aerial oxi- 

 dation of phos])horus. Moreover, that the amount of peroxide 

 of hydrog(!n, under definite circumstances of temperature, ex- 

 posure of surface, etc., stands in a certain ratio to that of the 

 ozone. So intimate appears to be the connection in the causes 

 Avhich invariably produce both bodies in this case, that any ex- 

 ])lanation which aims to account for the production of ozone in 

 the action of air upon moist phosphorus, and ignores the simul- 

 taneous generation of peroxide of hydrogen, must of necessity 

 be faulty. 



Witbout invalidating any of the experiments above alluded 

 to, or the inductions therefrom, Mr. 0. T. Kingzett has recently 

 asserted* that there is no evidence whatsoever, that any ozone is 

 l)roduced during the sIoav oxidation of phosphorus. Further, 

 that the body supposed in this instance to be ozone, is in reality 

 only peroxide of hydrogen. The same is true of Prof. McLeod, 

 who followed the above with the contradiction,! that no peroxide 

 of hydrogen is produced under these circumstances, but ozone 

 only. An inspection of Prof. McLeod's experiments, shows that 

 they must have been open to some source of fatal error, because, 

 instead of showing a progressively diminishing amount of ozone 

 with the successive increments of temperature to which the 

 stream of ozonized gas was subjected, they exhibit at 200" the 

 largest proportionate yield of ozone. Had the experiments been 

 correctly performed, they would have shown no ozone at 200°, 

 ozone undergoing resolution into ordinary oxygen almost entirely 

 and immediately (97 p. c. immediately) at this temperature. 



* Chem. News, XL, p. 96. 

 t Chem. News, XL, p. 307. 



