﻿484 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  ferent 
  dimensions, 
  while 
  metalloids 
  belonging 
  to 
  two 
  different 
  

   families 
  have 
  different 
  atoms. 
  Carrying 
  this 
  analogy 
  further, 
  M. 
  

   Fourlinnie 
  shows 
  that 
  these 
  atomic 
  forms 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  regular 
  

   polyhedrons 
  ; 
  a 
  conclusion 
  perfectly 
  in 
  accord 
  with 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   only 
  five 
  regular 
  polyhedrons 
  exist, 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  five 
  

   families 
  of 
  Dumas. 
  

  

  For 
  accomplishing 
  this 
  determination 
  he 
  is 
  led 
  to 
  compare 
  the 
  

   volumes 
  of 
  different 
  regular 
  polyhedrons, 
  and 
  thus 
  he 
  finds 
  that 
  

   the 
  volumes 
  of 
  the 
  cube, 
  the 
  octahedron 
  the 
  dodecahedron 
  and 
  

   the 
  icosahedron 
  when 
  circumscribed 
  upon 
  the 
  same 
  sphere 
  are 
  to 
  

   each 
  other 
  as 
  the 
  numbers 
  19, 
  16, 
  14 
  and 
  12, 
  which 
  are 
  respec- 
  

   tively 
  the 
  atomic 
  weights 
  o( 
  fluorine, 
  oxygen, 
  nitrogen 
  and 
  car- 
  

   bon. 
  

  

  M. 
  Fourlinnie 
  is 
  then 
  naturally 
  led 
  to 
  conclude 
  that 
  the 
  simple 
  

   bodies 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  fluorine 
  have 
  cubic 
  atoms 
  ; 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   family 
  of 
  oxygen 
  octahedral 
  atoms 
  ; 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  nitrogen 
  family, 
  

   dodecahedral 
  ; 
  finally, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  carbon 
  family 
  have 
  atoms 
  of 
  

   the 
  form 
  of 
  regular 
  icosahedrons. 
  By 
  exclusion, 
  the 
  regular 
  

   tetrahedron 
  belongs 
  to 
  hydrogen. 
  It 
  results, 
  further, 
  that 
  the 
  

   simple 
  bodies 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  columns, 
  Fl, 
  O, 
  N, 
  C, 
  have 
  atoms 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  apothem, 
  a 
  circumstance 
  which 
  arouses 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  possible, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  prediction 
  of 
  M. 
  Schutzen- 
  

   berger, 
  to 
  establish 
  the 
  decimals 
  of 
  the 
  atomic 
  weights 
  by 
  mathe- 
  

   matical 
  calculation. 
  

  

  After 
  some 
  interesting 
  considerations 
  upon 
  the 
  repulsive 
  and 
  

   attractive 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  atoms, 
  the 
  author 
  examines 
  the 
  conse- 
  

   quences 
  of 
  his 
  theory 
  from 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  combination 
  

   of 
  atoms 
  among 
  themselves 
  and 
  of 
  atomicity. 
  When 
  the 
  atoms 
  

   combine 
  they 
  assume 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  stable 
  equilibrium 
  when 
  the 
  axes, 
  

   determined 
  by 
  the 
  faces 
  (apothems), 
  or 
  the 
  summits 
  are 
  coincident 
  

   to 
  each 
  other. 
  

  

  By 
  aid 
  of 
  these 
  considerations 
  the 
  double 
  atomicity 
  of 
  oxygen 
  

   easily 
  explains 
  itself. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  with 
  the 
  triple 
  atomicity 
  of 
  

   nitrogen, 
  and 
  further, 
  the 
  coexistence 
  of 
  the 
  atomicities 
  3 
  and 
  5 
  

   in 
  this 
  element 
  receives 
  a 
  striking 
  interpretation 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  case 
  

   the 
  equilibrium 
  is 
  determined 
  by 
  the 
  apothems, 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  by 
  

   the 
  summits. 
  For 
  carbon 
  the 
  tetratomicity 
  is 
  more 
  difficult 
  ; 
  it 
  

   necessitates 
  an 
  equilibrium 
  partly 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  apothems 
  and 
  

   partly 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  summits. 
  

  

  The 
  ingenious 
  theories 
  of 
  M. 
  Fourlinnie 
  are 
  certainly 
  not 
  

   beyond 
  all 
  criticism, 
  but 
  they 
  recommend 
  themselves, 
  from 
  their 
  

   originality 
  and 
  their 
  novelty, 
  to 
  the 
  good 
  will 
  of 
  the 
  scientific 
  

   world. 
  They 
  should 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  the 
  embryo 
  of 
  a 
  novel 
  

   theory 
  which 
  will 
  perhaps 
  throw 
  a 
  new 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  obscure 
  

   question 
  of 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  atomic 
  weights 
  to 
  each 
  other. 
  It 
  

   is 
  probably 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  that 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  a 
  relation 
  of 
  a 
  

   mathematical 
  order 
  between 
  the 
  numerical 
  values 
  of 
  the 
  atomic 
  

   weights 
  of 
  the 
  simple 
  bodies 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  columns, 
  fluorine, 
  

   oxygen, 
  nitrogen 
  and 
  carbon. 
  — 
  From 
  the 
  French 
  of 
  G. 
  Darzens, 
  

   Bull. 
  Soc. 
  Chim., 
  Ill, 
  xv, 
  975. 
  h. 
  l. 
  w. 
  

  

  