406 Antozone and Peroxide of Hydrogen. 



ally to win for them the credence of philosophers in general: 

 and finally, to examine narrowly into the validity of the ex- 

 perimental evidence, which is regarded as demonstrating con- 

 clusively the non-existence of Antozone. 



The ground was prepared for the growth of a belief in the 

 actual separate existence of Antozone, by the promulgation by 

 Schonbein of his theory of Ozonides and Antozonides. Under 

 the former class, he included the peroxides, which in their ac- 

 tion upon other bodies manifested a strong likeness to Ozone, 

 the typical body of this class being the Peroxide of Lead. 



Without enumerating all the features in their deportment 

 towards other bodies, an enumeration which would serve only 

 to confuse us, it will be sufficient for our present purpose to 

 note that the properties of ozonides that Schonbein regarded as 

 most characteristic, were their power of liberating chlorine on 

 contact with hydrochloric acid ; of being reduced by peroxide of 

 hydrogen to lower oxides (water and ordinary oxygen at the 

 same time being generated), and of causing the tincture of the 

 resin guaiacum to turn blue. 



Antozonides, on the other hand, were those peroxides which 

 under the circumstances detailed above, behaved in quite con- 

 trary fashion ; — under no circumstances liberating chlorine from 

 a chloride, not decomposing peroxide of hydrogen, and not turn- 

 ing guaiacum tincture blue. The typical body of this class was 

 Peroxide of Barium. 



And inasmuch as Schonbein thought he had demonstrated 

 that ozone is electro-negative ox} T gen, and that the ozonides 

 were combinations of a lower oxide with ozone, he accordingly 

 regarded the antozonides as combinations of a lower oxide with 

 electro-positive oxygen. This electro-positive oxygen, he ap- 

 pears to have named Antozone to distinguish it from Ozone, 

 and to indicate the function it performed in antozonides, with- 

 out claiming, at least at the outset, that it had been or could be 

 isolated in a free condition. The fact that an ozonide and an 

 antozonide could mutually decompose one anothor, and both 

 at the same time undergo reduction to the state of lower oxides, 

 with liberation of ordinary oxygen, was regarded as lending 

 great probability to the view that the oxygen in the two com- 

 pounds existed in two opposed electro-chemical conditions. 



