AEP1XUS ATOMIZED. 



857 



§ 37. Now let ail the Al s and ail the B's be centres of equal and 

 similar spherical atoms, eacli containiug a quartet of electrions. The 

 electrions will be in stable equilibrinm imder the influence of their own 

 mutual repulsions, and the attractions of the atoms, if they are placed 

 as equilateral quartets of proper magnitude, concentric with the atoms, 

 and orientée! ail as any one quartet of the Âs or B's. To see that this 

 is true, confine attention first to the five atoms Ai A 2 J 3 B { . Tf 

 the electrions within A { A 2 A 2 A A are ail held similarly oriented to the 

 quartet of the centres of thèse atoms, the quartet of electrions within 

 B\ must obviously be similarly oriented to the other quartets of elec- 

 trions. If again, thèse be held oriented oppositely to the quartet of the 

 atoms, the stable configuration of the electrions within will still be 

 similar to the orientation of the quartets within A 1 A 2 A 3 A^, though 

 opposite to the orientation of the centres of thèse atoms. If, when the 

 quartets of electrions are ail thus similarly oriented either way, the 

 quartet within B\ is turned to reverse orientation, this will cause ail 

 the others to turn and settle in stable equilibrium according to this 

 reversed orientation. Applying the saine considération to every atom 

 of the assemblage and its four nearest neighbours, we have proof of the 

 proposition asserted at the commencement of the présent section. It is 

 most interesting to remark that if, in a vast homogeneous assemblage 

 of the kind with. which we are dealing, the orientation of any one of 

 the quartets of electrions be reversed and held reversed, ail the others 

 will follow and settle in stable equilibrium in the reversed orientation. 



§ 38. This double homogeneous assemblage of tetra-electrionic atoms 

 seems to be absolutely the simplest 1 ) molecular structure in which HaùVs 

 octo-polar electric quality can exist. To see that it lias octo-polar 

 electric qualit}^, consider an octahedron built up according to it. The 

 faces of this octahedron, taken in proper order, will have, next to them, 

 alternately points and triangular faces of the electrionic quartets within 

 the atoms. This itself is the kind of electric aeolotropy which consti- 

 tues octo-polar quality. Time prevents entering fully at présent on 

 any dynamical investigation of static or kinetic results. 



§ 39. [Addecl Oct. 23.] Since what précèdes was written, I have 

 seen the explanation of a difficulty which had prevented me from finding 



l ) Not the simplest. See § 40 below. 



