THE CATALYTIC FORCE OF BODIES. 
669 
nious, was in perfect agreement with our 
knowledge of the re-action of the affinities of 
bodies; it did not, however, explain why 
other bodies not acids, having equal avidity 
for water, could not be employed in the same 
manner ; why soda, potash, chloride of potas- 
sium, anhydrous lime, &c., if the transfotma- 
tion really <lepended only upon an affinity 
for water, did not equally produce ether. 
The researches of M. Mitscherlich proved 
thatsulphuric acid, sufficiently diluted, and 
tal^en at such a temperatuTe that the refrige- 
ration produced by the addition of the alcohol 
compensated for the heating which arose from 
the mixture, decomposed the alcohol into ether 
and water, which, because the temperature 
exceeded the temperature of ebullition of 
water, were both separated by distillation 
from the mass, and, as soon as the condensa- 
tion was complete, presented a mixture of the 
same weight as that of the alcohol employed. 
The manner of performing this experiment, 
as well as the fact of the distillation of water 
conjointly with alcoliol, was, it is true, known 
before M. Mitscherlich, but to him belongs 
the merit of having predicted its consequen- 
ces. in fact, he piovecl that, at this tempera- 
ture, sulphuric acid must act upon alcohol by 
virtue of the .same force which determines the 
action of the alkalies upon oxygenated water, 
since the water being entirely separated from 
the mixture, did not obey an affinity for the 
acid; whence he conchided, that the action 
of sulphuric acid and diastase upon starch, 
from which resulted the sugar, must be of the 
same nature. 
It is then proved that many substances, 
simple or compound, solid or in solution, 
have the property of exercising an influence 
upon compound bodies essentially distinct 
from chemical affinity, an influence which 
consists in the production of a displacement 
and a different arrangement oftheir element.s, 
without participating in it directly and neees. 
sarily, except in a few special cases. Certain- 
ly a force such as this, capable of producing 
chemical re-actions in inorganic nature, as 
well as in organized bodies, though at pre- 
sent too little understood to be well explained, 
must exercise a more important function in 
nature than has hitherto been supposed. In 
defining it as a new force, I am far from 
wishing to deny that a certain connection 
exists between it and the electro-chemical 
relations of matter. 1 am. on the contrary, 
strongly disposed to recognize inita decided 
manifestation of these relations ; nevertheless, 
till we have penetrated into the real nature 
of this force, it will be more simple in our fu- 
ture reseaiches to consifier it as independent, 
and to give it, for facility of recognition, a 
name peculiar to itself. According to an ety- 
mology well known in chemistry, I shall con- 
sequently name it the cata/j/tic/orTe of bodies, 
and the decomposition which it determines 
catalysis, in the same manner as the separa- 
tion of ihe elements of acompound, by rneans 
of the usual chemical affinities, is called 
analysis This force may be defined to be a 
power of bodies to bring into activity, by their 
simple presence, and without participating in 
it chemically, certain affinities, which at that 
ternperatuie would remain inactive, so as to 
determine, in consequence of a new distribu- 
tion of the elements of the cotnpouud, a new 
state of perfect chemical neutralization. As 
this force acts in general in a manner analo- 
gous to heat, it may be inquired whether be- 
ing variously graduated, sometimes by em- 
ploying differently the same catalytic body, 
sometimes by the introduction of various 
catalytic bodies in the same liquid, it will cause 
as IS often ob.sei ved in the action of heat at 
different teraperauiies, different catalytic pro- 
ducts, — whether the catalytic force of a body 
can be exerted over a larger number of com- 
pounds, or whether, as our experiments appear 
to indicate, only over certain bodies, to the 
exception of certain other bodies'? Butin the 
present state of our knowledge itisimpos.sibie 
to decide these questions, and many others 
t.hat might be proposed upon the subject: 
their solution roust depend on tlie results of 
future investigations. Jt is enough for the 
present to have shewn, by a sufficient num- 
ber of examples, the existence of this force, 
which, defined as it has been, diffuses a new 
light over the chemical re-actions of organ- 
ized bodies. Weshall cite but one example. 
There is an accumulation of diastase around 
the eye of the potatoe, wiiich is not found in the 
tubercle or in the developed germ ; we per- 
ceive in this point a centre of catalytic action, 
at which the insoluble starch of the tubercle 
is converted into gum and sugar, and thi.s 
part of the potatoe will become the secretory 
organ for the soluble sustances, which are 
to form the juices of the growing germ. It 
is not probable that the action mentioned is 
the only one of its kind in vegetable life ; 
on the corrtrary, it may be presumed, that in 
vegetables, as well as in the animal body, 
a thousand catalytic effects take place between 
the tis.sues and the liquids, whence results the 
great number of different chemical com- 
poumls.the production of which. from the same 
brute matter, which we call blood, or vege- 
table juices, cannot be explained by any other 
known cause.- BihnotkequeUniverseile,Nouv . 
Ser, Tome 376. 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED 
SOCIETIES. 
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 1836. 
(Continued from page 594.) 
Jan. 12, 1836. — A note addressed to the 
Secretary by Sir Robert Heron, Bart. M.P.. 
was read. It referred to the writer’s success 
in the breeding of curassows in the last sum- 
mer at Stub ton. 
From two individuals in his possession, 
the male of which is entirely black, and the 
female of the mottled reddish brown colour 
which is regarded as characteristic of the 
Orax ruhra, Linn., Sir R. Heronhas hatch- 
ed in the last year six young ones in three 
