126 
oxygen. At present the prevailing opinion is that ozone is 
an altered condition of oxygen, the molecular constitution 
being different to that of ordinary oxygen. 
Is ozone which is produced by an electrical discharge 
through air, or oxygen gas, identical with that observed in 
the atmosphere ? 
Many eminent men of science doubted the existence of 
atmospheric ozone ; it was thought that other active sub- 
stances in the air had similar reactions to those exhibited 
by ozone. The carefu] experiments of Dr. Andrews, which 
were intended to settle this important question, appear to 
confirm in a satisfactory manner the original views of 
Schonbein. 
Ozone presented itself to my view in such close union 
with electricity that I have been almost forced to believe in 
its electrical origin. I expected that it would be ultimately 
found that an unstable chemical union existed between 
electricity and oxygen in the ozonised state. Some very 
careful experiments by Dr. Andrews appear to show con- 
clusively that such is not the case ; he finds that ozone may 
be readily destroyed by agitating it strongly with fine 
fragments of glass. Dr. Andrews remarks that this 
experiment forms a new and closer link than any hitherto 
observed between a purely mechanical action and a chemical 
change. Probably the generation of ozone is constantly 
taking place in the higher regions of the atmosphere ; the 
formation of clouds, rain, hail, snow, &c., developing free 
electricity, under conditions highly favourable for the 
conversion of oxygen into ozone. The amount thus pro- 
duced would be vastly augmented by agencies in operation 
at certain portions of the earth’s surface. Ozone is said to 
be abundant at sea. This might have been anticipated; 
the friction of the wind on the surface of the waves, and 
the conversion of water into aqueous vapour (a change of 
state which always developes an abundance of free 
electricity) produce conditions as favourable as those 
