Antozone and Peroxide of Hydrogen. 40T 



This hypothesis of Schonbein was evolved at that epoch when 

 the electro-chemical theories of Berzelius reigned paramount, 

 and has the same general objection which is urged against the 

 dualistic theory in general, that instead of regarding a chemical 

 compound as a new individual in which for the time being the 

 specific identity of its components is lost, it assumes that these 

 components, though unrecognisable for the time, nevertheless 

 still exist. In other words, that in an ozonide there is ozone in 

 combination with a lower oxide, and, in an antozonide, anto- 

 zone. The validity of this reasoning is denied, on the ground 

 that a compound body may yield up its constituents in one form 

 or in another form, according to the reagents, or according to 

 the circumstances, etc., by which its decomposition is brought 

 about. So with the bodies under consideration. It was pointed 

 out by Brodie (1863), that the chemical differences in the de- 

 portment of the ozonid.es and antozonides, were to be attributed 

 to the nature of the substances with which in each class of bodies 

 the oxygen was united, and to the nature of the substances 

 taking part in the reactions, rather than to the existence in them 

 of two different modifications of oxygen. For example, taking 

 the evolution of chlorine when a chloride is brought into con- 

 tact with an ozonide, as the most characteristic of its properties, 

 as was done by Schonbein, we certainly should not anticipate 

 that peroxide of barium, which is the typical antozonide, in con- 

 tact with a chloride should evolve chlorine. But it Avas shown 

 by Brodie (1801) that it did so or not according to circumstances, 

 with concentrated hydrochloric acid yielding chlorine ; with di- 

 lute, peroxide of hydrogen. 



In the same direction tended the still earlier observations of 

 Lenssen, that peroxide of hydrogen (an antozonide) could add 

 oxygen to, or subtract oxygen from, an oxidizable body, ac- 

 cording as the circumstances of the reaction, or as naturalists at 

 the present time are fond of saying, "the environment," are 

 favorable to the formation of a higher or a lower stage of oxida- 

 tion. Thus in alkaline solution, it oxidizes oxide of chromium 

 to chromic acid, while it reduces chromic acid to oxide in the 

 acid solution. 



The above facts are irreconcilable with the hypothesis that an 

 ozonide contained ozone as such, and an antozonide, antozone. 



