72 THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 



kind, are manifested whenever the phenomena of 

 luminosity present themselves in Nature. 



There appears also to be evidence that such 

 large agglomerations of molecules do carry charges, 

 large relatively to the electron or unit charge of 

 electricity, and that they may be looked upon as 

 electrified particles rather than as ions ; that they 

 can be regarded as centres of force of considerable 

 magnitude, relatively to the ordinary molecular 

 attractions, or repulsions, considered in the ordinary 

 kinetic theory. 



In the case of solids and liquids the aggregates 

 are more persistent than in that of gases, the 

 phenomenon of phosphorescence being of more fre- 

 quent occurrence in the former than in the latter ; 

 whilst in the case of flames, which ought to be regarded 

 as different states of matter from any of these three — 

 a luminous gas and a non-luminous gas being really 

 two distinct states, as it is the object of this work to 

 prove — the chemical interactions are more intense 

 than in the case of phosphorescence, and more 

 obviously of the nature of catalytic interactions. 

 The existence of these aggregates facilitates the for- 

 mation of flames, and performs an important part in 

 their luminosity. The interactions are analogous to 

 that of platinum upon combustible mixtures of 

 gases ; to the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by 

 metals and oxides ; or to the action of dilute acids, or 

 enzymes on starch, or of sulphuric acid in the for- 

 mation of ether : all of these being the result of 

 catalytic performances, the differences being merely 



