360 The History of Antozone [June, 
view that the oxygen in the two compounds existed in two 
opposed eleCtro-chemical conditions. 
This hypothesis of Schonbein was evolved at that epoch 
when the eleCtro-chemical theories of Berzelius reigned 
paramount, and has the same general objedtion which is 
urged against the dualistic theory in general, that, instead 
of regarding a chemical compound as a new individual in 
which for the time being the specific identity of its compo- 
nents are lost, it assumes that these components, though 
unrecognisable for the time, nevertheless still exist. In 
other words, that in an ozonide there is ozone in combina- 
tion with a lower oxide, and antozone in an antozonide. 
The validity of this reasoning is denied on the ground that 
a compound body may yield up its constituents in one form 
or in another form, according to the reagents, or according 
to the circumstances, &c., by which its decomposition is 
brought about. So with the bodies under consideration. 
It was pointed out by Brodie (1863) that the chemical 
differences in the deportment of the ozonides and antozonides 
were to be attributed to the nature of the substances with 
which in each class of bodies the oxygen was united, and to 
the nature of the substances taking part in the reactions, 
rather than to the existence in them of two different modifi- 
cations of oxygen. For example, taking the evolution of 
chlorine when a chloride is brought into contact with an 
ozonide as the most characteristic of its properties, as was 
done by Schonbein, we certainly should not anticipate that 
peroxide of barium, which is the typical antozonide, in con- 
tact with chloride should evolve chlorine. But it was 
shown by Brodie (1861) that it did so or not according to 
circumstances — with concentrated hydrochloric acid, yield- 
ing chlorine ; with dilute, peroxide of hydrogen. 
In the same direction tended the still earlier observations 
of Lenssen, that peroxide of hydrogen (an antozonide) could 
add oxygen to, or subtract oxygen from, an oxidisable body, 
according as the circumstances of the reaction, or as natu- 
ralists at the present time are fond of saying “ the environ- 
ment,” are favourable to the formation of a higher or a 
lower stage of oxidation. Thus in alkaline solution it 
oxidises oxide of chromium to chromic acid, while it reduces 
chromic acid to oxide in the acid solution. The above faCts 
are irreconcilable with the hypothesis that an ozonide con- 
tained ozone as such,— and an antozonide, antozone ; 
consequently the hypothesis and with it the terms employed 
have been abandoned. 
But the existence or non-existence of ozone is not only 
