Flames of Carbonic Oxide and Hydrogen. 501 



As up to the present time it has not been possible to prepare 

 ly single compound of carbonic acid and water, we are com- 

 piled to assume that even between the uncombined atoms cer- 

 an predominant attractions, corresponding to simple atomic 

 elations, are at work, but that we are unable to repeat the condi- 

 ions under which the compounds corresponding to these reta- 

 ins are formed ; so that the chemical attractions have the power 



arranging the neighbouring atoms (whether they afterwards 

 t e part in the combination or not, and even before any combi- 

 e, ion of the system occurs) in simple atomic proportions, 



ording to which combination can occur more easily than in 



•y other. Bearing this in mind, and comparing it with what 



appens in the case of the combustion of gases, we find that we 



jave to do with similar phenomena. If we suppose a number 



f carbonic-oxide and oxygen atoms, 



3, ; CO, ; CO, ; CO, ; CO, ; CO, ; CO, 0; CO, 0, 



j be exposed to a constantly increasing temperature, then a 

 point must come when the first pair CO, are united together 

 and CO 2 produced. The result of the force between the atoms 



CO,0; CO 2 ; C0,0 



must now be quite different from the original, 



CO, 0; C0,0; C0,0; CO, 0. 



It may be that the two atoms of carbonic acid cause the neigh- 

 bouring atoms to become carbonic acid between the temperature 

 3033° C. and 2558° C. If, then, the same action is repeated 

 throughout the whole mass of the gas, only one-third of the gas 

 can be burned to carbonic acid, as in fact the experiment shows. 

 Why this attractive influence should be exerted under the exist- 

 ing conditions only on three pairs of atoms and no more, can as 

 little be theoretically explained as the fact that it is possible to 

 estimate a priori the number of atoms contained in any substance 

 already well known. In order to conceive why under the tem- 

 perature of 2558° C. only one-half of the entire gas can be 

 burned, we may suppose that the formation of a further atom of 

 carbonic acid is again possible, and, as before, calls forth a new 

 equilibrium of the forces which produces the union of another 

 group of atoms, 



CO, ; CO 2 , 



in which the results of all the forces present, acting within the 

 still lower temperature 2471° C. to the lowest 1146° C, cannot 

 induce the formation of any more carbonic acid. 



This explanation finds an important confirmation in the fact 

 that not only the intervals of temperature between which the 



