Theory of the Chemical Element*. 885 



The suggested formulae are : — 



Beryllium, Pf 3 H 2 or Pf (P£H) 2 =9*10 (9*1), 



Calcium, 2{Nu 2 (PfH) 3 }(TfH) 3 Nu 2 = 40*084 (40*09), 

 Strontium, 4{Nu 2 (PfH) 3 }{He 2 Nu 2 (PfH) 3 }Nu 3 He 2 = 87*64 (87*63), 

 Barium, 4{He 4 (PfH) 3 }{He 2 (PfH) 3 }Pf 3 He 2 = 137*37 (137-37), 

 Radium, 8{He 2 Nu 2 (P£H) 8 }2{He 2 (PfH) 3 }He 5 = 226*8 (226*4). 



Beryllium diverges very much in the same way as lithium, 

 containing only two primary substances. It involves P£ 3 H 2 

 in place o£ Nu 3 H 2 . That it should have a different valency 

 from lithium may be seen. Even to protofluorine and 

 nebulium themselves definite valencies can be ascribed on 

 mathematical principles, but this question lies outside the 

 range of the present preliminary exposition of the theory. 

 The valency of an element will have no immediate relation 

 to the valencies of other and simpler elements which could 

 be formed by an arbitrary selection of some of its groups. 

 Valency is, of course, not an idea which can be attached 

 with any meaning to a group like, for example, He 3 , unless 

 the arrangement in this group be specified, and unless it be 

 unaccompanied by other groups. Perhaps this remark is 

 necessary to emphasise the distinction between compounds 

 in the present sense and chemical compounds. 



The formula for radium is obtained on the supposition 

 that its a particle is helium. 



Magnesium, Zinc, Cadmium, Mercury. — These metals occupy 

 the other half of the column containing the calcium group, 

 and possess a certain degree of similarity, especially zinc 

 and cadmium. The suggested formulae are : — 



Magnesium, NuHe 4 (PfH) 2 =24*32 (24*32), 

 Zinc, 2{He 4 (PfH) 3 }Nu 4 (PfH) 2 =65'36 (65*37), 

 Cadmium, 4{He 2 (PfH) 3 }He 6 Pf 4 (P£H) 2 =112*43 (112*40), 

 Mercury, 8{He 2 (P£H) 3 }2{JSTu 2 (PfH) s }H 6 He 4 (PfH) s = 200*1 (200). 



The formula for magnesium is somewhat different from 

 the others, but there is a corresponding chemical difference. 

 Beryllium and magnesium have much in common, and the 

 formula for beryllium may be written as Pf (P£H) 2 , which 

 is very similar to that of magnesium. The other three 

 formulae follow the usual line of development, with a corre- 

 sponding gradation of chemical properties. 



Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Arsenic, Antimony, Bismuth. — 

 Columns 4 and 5 of the table do not contain many elements 

 whose atomic weights have been determined with sufficient 



Phil Mag. S. 6. Vol. 22. No. 132. Dec. 1911. 3 N 



