Theory of the Chemical Elements. 8G7 



the whole, the investigation has established, with some 

 thoroughness, that the atomic systems dealt with in this 

 paper are, from the point of view of atomic weights, the 

 only type which atoms can have on the basis of a purely 

 electrical theory. We have indicated already some other 

 considerations tending in the same direction. 



Another consequence of the adoption of these views is the 

 acceptance of the fact that all inertia is due to electric charges 

 in motion. Much controversy has centred in this question, 

 but, at present, the main trend of opinion is against the 

 existence of any other kind of inertia. Larmor, in his theory 

 of the sether, has adopted this view, and although attempts 

 have been rnade to explain the results of Kaufmann on rapidly 

 moving electrons by the help of Newtonian inertia, it is found 

 that Bucherer's work gives the most satisfactory theory of these 

 experiments. This work is based on the contraction formula 

 for electrons in motion, and on the supposition that all inertia 

 is of the electrical type. There is no necessity to give further 

 references on this point. 



2 he Primary Substances, or u Protyles" 



The simple elements, from which, or rather from the con- 

 stituents of which, we propose to construct all the others, 

 consist of single rings of electrons rotating round small nuclei 

 of positive electricity. These nuclei are small compared with 

 the electron, and furnish nearly the whole mass of the atom. 

 The number of these substances whose existence is declared 

 is four ; but only three are used in the following constructions. 

 This number is fixed by no other consideration than that more 

 than three are not necessary : as regards the fourth, more will 

 be said later. Moreover, it is remarkable that if the next 

 model simple atoms, in order of mathematical simplicity, are 

 examined, they are found to be quite useless for all the 

 elements of low atomic weight, which constitute the real 

 test, and it is not possible, for example, to obtain the 

 atomic weights of beryllium, boron, and carbon from any 

 compound of protyles involving the next two from those 

 considered in the paper. 



The first of these primary substances is an atom containing 

 a single ring of two electrons rotating round a positive 

 nucleus. When this paper was communicated to the British 

 Association, it was suggested that this element would be 

 coronium, the unknown substance (or one of them) present 

 in the solar corona. Subsequent work on its spectrum, which 

 at that time was incomplete, has justified this supposition. 



