82 
SIE B. C. BEODIE ON THE CALCULUS OF CHEMICAL OPEEATIONS. 
This event may be regarded as an aggregate of seven events, as follows : — 
a 2 x + a/ =009/+ a;/, 
a 2 * "T a /£ 2 — 
a 2 x%-{-a.fc =a 2 x^ -j-a^, 
a 2 x^ + a£ = a 2 x§ + a^, 
2a+£ 2 =2a£ + l, 
2« z = a+az 2 , 
2 a ^= a +a^ 2 , 
and has absolutely been realized by the synthesis of these events. But each of these 
events may itself be an aggregate. Take, for example, the event 
a 2 «y + + ap£ > 
this result may be obtained by the synthesis of the two following events : — 
a 2 «^-}-a 2 K 2 ^ 2 =a^-l-a 3 ^ 3 ^ 2 , (a) 
aV£ 2 + a £= a V£ 2 + a 2 x£ (b) 
For if we take (a) a unit of chloride of methyl and a unit of acetic acid and transform 
them into a unit of hydrochloric acid and a unit of acetate of methyl, and then (b) take 
that unit of acetate of methyl and a unit of water and transform them into a unit of 
acetic acid and a unit of methylic alcohol, the final result of these successive transfor- 
mations will be the transformation of a unit of chloride of methyl and a unit of water 
into a unit of alcohol and a unit of hydrochloric acid. 
Example (4). — Again, let the event considered be the synthetical construction of 
methylic alcohol from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen according to the following 
equation, 
2x + 4a+£ 2 = 2a 2 xf + 5 (1) 
Now this event may be regarded as an aggregate of the three following events, the 
first of which is the “ aggregate ” considered in the last example, the latter events being 
repeated twice, 
(2) 2 a 2 x+£ 2 =2a 2 *£+l, 
(3) 2a+x=a 2 x-f-2. 
Again, the second of these two events may be regarded as constituted of the following 
events : — 
(1) Formation of acetylene from carbon and hydrogen, 
2x-j-a=ax 9 -}-2. 
(2) Formation of olefiant gas from acetylene and hydrogen, 
ojc 2 -f- a = a 2 x 2 -j- 1 . 
