124 T. S. Hunt — Chemical Integration. 



and which regards the atomic theory as only a temporary ex- 

 pedient for representing the facts of chemistry to the mind."* 



§ 15. It has already been shown that the writer does not 

 share the interpretation of these variations in composition given 

 by Cooke, Schtitzenberger and Boutlerow, but regards, as was 

 already said in 1867, the facts " from which some have sug- 

 gested a deviation from the law of definite proportions," as 

 " only an expression of that law in a higher form ;" believing 

 that so far as we yet know, the laws of measure, number and 

 weight in chemistry are invariable. To one who since 1853 

 has persistently combatted the atomic hypothesis as contrary to 

 a sound philosophy,! and throughout all the succeeding years 

 has sought to build up without it a new theory of chemistry upon 

 a dynamic basis, it is however no small satisfaction to find that 

 Prof. Cooke, who has been among the ablest defenders of this 

 famous hypothesis, is at last led to look upon it as "only a 

 temporary expedient for representing the facts of chemistry to 

 the mind." 



§ 16. The question here arises whether in gaseous species 

 like water-vapor, H 2 0, and carbon dioxyd C0 2 , whose integral 

 or equivalent weights are represented by these formulas, it is 

 possible to admit such variations in composition as have been 

 already signalized, and as we have sought to explain in the case 

 of liquid and solid species of high equivalent weights. We 

 recall what has been said (§ 2, § 4) as to the process of homo- 

 geneous dissociation when the hexad integer of sulphur vapor 

 at 500° is changed at higher temperatures into three dyad 

 integers, and the dyad integer of iodine is at 1500° disinte- 

 grated into two monad integers, as also the integrations of 

 pen tine and aldehyde, and the homogeneous disintegration of 

 their so-called polymers ; and again, the fact that the dyad 

 integer of hydrogen (H 2 ), after combining integrally with a 

 similar integer of chlorine (Cl 2 ), is dissociated into two dyad 

 integers of chlorhydric gas, 2(HC1) X ,- — the double process of 

 heterogeneous integration and homogeneous disintegration 

 taking place without a perceptible interval, so that no change 

 of volume is observed. The union of hydrogen and oxygen, 

 in like manner, may be supposed to give rise temporarily to a 

 more condensed vaporous species, which subsequently under- 

 goes homogeneous disintegration or dissociation like sulphur 

 and iodine vapors, or like H 2 C1 2 , or dipentine C 10 H 16 = 2(C 6 H 8 ). 

 Thus, while ordinary water-vapor, with the ratio for hydrogen and 

 oxygen of 2 : 1 by volume, and of 1*0 : 7 '9816 by weight, equals 



* This Journal (1883) xxvi, 310, 316. 



f A New Basis for Chemistry, pp. 60-67. See also in this connection G. A. 

 Hirn, La cinetique moderne et le dynamisme de I'avenir ; Comptes Rendus 

 de 1' Academie des Sciences, Sept. 20, 1886. 



