246 On Gladstone's Experiments relating to Chemical Mass. 



a summary of the differences between calculation and observation; 

 as compared in percentages. 



Table VII. 





Above 2-3. 



Above 1-2 

 (inclusive). 



Above 0-5-1-0 

 (inclusive). 



Above 00-0-5 

 (inclusive). 



Table I 



Table II. ... 

 Table III. ... 

 Table IV. ... 

 Table V. ... 

 Table VI. ... 





 

 

 

 I 

 



1 

 3 

 2 

 

 2 

 



5 



4 

 2 

 5 

 4 

 2 



9 

 6 

 8 

 6 

 4 

 3 



Totals 



1 



8 



22 



36 



The entire number of comparisons is sixty-seven. Thus it 

 appears that 54 per cent, of the errors are such as would, on 

 their average, be found in very good analytical work ; 33 per 

 cent, of them occur, on their average, in ordinarily good analy- 

 tical work; the remaining 13 per cent, lie, on their average, 

 within the usual limits allowable in colorimetry. 



X. The foregoing equations show that any such expression as 



i[Fe 2 Cl 6 ] + 3KCNS = i[Fe 2 (CNS) 6 ]+3KCl 

 is wholly erroneous, if intended to represent the chemical energy 

 of a ferric salt, or the amount of potassic sulphocyanide that is 

 capable of acting thereon; for the energy of the quantity 

 i[Fe 2 CI 6 ] is not exhausted until about 400 units (KCNS) have 

 been brought to bear upon it ; and other ferric salts are repre- 

 sented by similarly high numbers. The ordinary equations of 

 chemistry represent the result of distributing weight, and give 

 no account of work done ; these, on the other hand, represent a 

 dynamical process as well as distribution of weight. Hence it is 

 clear that the " equivalents h or valencies inferred from the com- 

 mon equations rest upon a wholly fallacious basis, and cannot 

 be depended upon in scientific reasoning. To assert, for instance, 

 that C is equivalent to H 4 , amounts to stating that hydrogen 

 and carbon have been compared as to the work they can do 

 under certain circumstances, just as ferric chloride is compared 

 with ferric sulphate in Gladstone's experiments. No such re- 

 search has, however, been made; and it would not be likely to 



C 



yield the ratio 774 = 1 if it were made. What, then, becomes of 



the doctrine that carbon is tetravalent ? 



It is worthy of remark that, while the ordinary equations in- 

 variably express that quantity consists of parts (that, for example, 

 potassic chloride contains potassium, and chlorine, whereas we 



