Active and Ordinary Oocygen. 271 



Assuming that in ozone the active atoms have united with the 

 ordinary oxygen-molecule to form new complex molecules, the 

 stability of ozone when kept at lower temperature, and especially 

 the stability of the electro-negative condition of the active atoms, 

 is more easily explained than on the assumption that the active 

 atoms remain isolated. For as in general in chemical compounds 

 each atom has a certain electrical condition, which is not arbi- 

 trary and variable, but belongs to the characteristics of the com- 

 pound, so this may be presupposed of the oxygen-atoms united 

 to a molecule ; and it may be assumed in the present case that 

 the active atoms are contained as electro-negative in the mole- 

 cules, and must retain this electrical condition as long as they 

 are in the compound. 



It is not necessary in this case that the ozonized oxygen shall 

 exhibit an electroscopically perceptible negative electrical tension. 

 It may be assumed, as is done in the case of other chemically 

 composed molecules, that the electrical conditions of the indivi- 

 dual atoms of a molecule stand in such a relation to one another 

 that the entire molecule is unelectrical ; inasmuch as the alge- 

 braic sum of the quantities of free positive and negative electricity 

 which the individual atoms of a molecule possess are exactly zero. 



I must now speak of antozone. 



In his investigations on oxygen, Meissner has made observa- 

 tions from which he concludes that, in the excitation of oxygen 

 by electrical induction, along with ozone another substance is 

 formed, which exerts a very remarkable action on aqueous vapour, 

 and thereby betrays its existence. By further developing the 

 subject, he believes he has convinced himself that this substance 

 is nothing more than the modification of oxygen described by 

 Schonbein as antozone. 



The result, that in the isolation of oxygen by electrical induc- 

 tion antozone is formed simultaneously with ozone, agrees very 

 well with my assumption that each molecule of ordinary oxygen 

 consists of two opposite electrical atoms. But with reference to 

 the somewhat different manner in which Meissner conceives the 

 matter, namely that the atoms assume the opposite electrical 

 condition first through electrical induction only, I would insist 

 that the electrical antithesis of a molecule exists from the first, 

 though it may possibly be heightened by induction. In reference 

 to the separation of the two atoms, I quite agree with Meissner 

 in thinking that it is most easily explained on the supposition 

 that an electrical body exerts upon the two atoms forces which 

 are opposed in direction. 



Meissner has also made observations on the other modes of 

 excitation of oxygen, which correspond to the previously men- 

 tioned one, and also favour the idea of the formation of ant- 



