898 Dr. A. C. Crehore 



on 



effect with two electrons, say, held in common between the 

 two atoms, and the nucleus of each has a single charge. 

 Such a system of point charges without motion of some 

 kind does not form a stable electrostatic system. All such 

 proposals depart in their fundamental assumptions from any 

 form of electromagnetic theory. 



The investigation in this paper assumes in dealing with 

 the atomic models shown in fig. 1 that electromagnetic 

 theory is adhered to, there being no exceptions. In view 

 of these circumstances a thorough search has been made for 

 some possible reason that will satisfactorily account for the 

 known distances between the atoms without at the same time 

 abandoning electromagnetic theory at any point, and without 

 altering the fundamental character of the models. 



It cannot be said to be known whether each atom in a 

 crystal or in a molecule is a neutral atom of small dimensions, 

 or whether each has some of its electrons at considerable 

 distance from the atomic centre. The latter alternative is 

 assumed in the Lewis-Langmuir theory, and is perhaps the 

 generally accepted idea of most physicists. The conception 

 introduces insurmountable difficulties in conceiving of the 

 phenomenon by means of electromagnetic theory alone 

 without other postulates that depart from it, and it is 

 shown in this paper that the assumption of neutral atoms, 

 which is in accord with electromagnetic theory, does afford 

 a solution of the matter. This is considered to be sufficient 

 justification for making the assumption of neutral atoms, 

 which is made in the following investigation. 



*a4 



:f- 



f- 



2 £ , 1 



AC B b c a. 



Fig. 4. — Representing- the centres of the charges in two hydrogen atoms 

 coaxial with each other. C and c are positive charges of 2e each, 

 and A, B, a, and b are the centres of the negative electrons. 



If an atom is pictured as composed of some symmetrical 

 arrangement of charges in close proximity to each other, as 

 in fig. 4 for example, that is close compared with the distance 

 to the next atomic centre, then it has been shown that the 

 total electrostatic force between two such atoms follows 

 the inverse sixth power of the distance law, assuming that 

 each charge is a point charge and obeying the inverse square 



