410 A nf ozone and Peroxide of Hydrogen. 



evidence brought forth in support of a belief in its existence, 

 was for the first time clearly set forth. For Meissner, it will be 

 recollected, saw in its power of generating a cloud in contact 

 with water, the distinguishing property of antozone. Von Babo 

 discovered that the formation of a cloud is always to be noted 

 when, in any manner whatever, ozone is decomposed, water being 

 present. Meissner believed that the clouds could not be due to 

 peroxide of hydrogen, because, according to him, the latter is not 

 volatile. If, then, peroxide of hydrogen was not concerned in 

 these phenomena, there was left as the only other alternative un- 

 der the circumstances, the hypothesis of a peculiar modification 

 of oxygen capable of giving rise to them, and to this modification, 

 which again was necessarily different from ozone, Meissner gave 

 the name of atmizone. Later he identified it with, and called it 

 by the same name as Schonbein's antozone. Von Babo, on the 

 contrary, found that the clouds were only peroxide of hydrogen 

 diffused through vapor of water, and capable of being trans- 

 ported along with it, and even passing with it through aqueous 

 solutions, for long distances, without being deposited or ab- 

 sorbed. 



Unfortunately, these results of von Babo were encumbered 

 with certain vague and doubtful speculations concerning the 

 mode of genesis of the peroxide of hydrogen, through the inter- 

 action of ozone and water in the presence of an oxidizable sub- 

 stance. That they were in reality conclusive against the existence 

 of the so-called antozone, was not generally recognised until the 

 labors of Nasse and Engler (1870), upon the gas set free by the 

 action of sulphuric acid upon peroxide of barium, had confirmed 

 their truth and illuminated their proper bearings and signifi- 

 cance. Nasse and Engler, by simple but trenchant experiments, 

 demonstrated that the gas evolved in this case was a mixture, 

 containing not only ozone, but also water and peroxide of hy- 

 drogen. 



When the escaping gas was passed through a series of tubes 

 surrounded with a freezing mixture, the latter underwent con- 

 densation, and the permanent gas which passed on was ozone. 

 The condensed product, when subjected to appropriate tests, 

 proved to be merely a solution of peroxide of hydrogen. Carry 

 the simple explanation thus afforded with you, and see with 



