340 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters . 
cannot make pure substances. Water has been conceived of as 
forming a complex electrolyte with, the reacting substances. 
Where it was found that water would not cause chemical reac¬ 
tion to go on, it was suggested that the proper impurity to 
cause water to conduct was not at hand. 
In order to conceive of water as forming an electrolyte in the 
case of gaseous systems where presence of moisture facilitates 
reaction, it was found necessary to suppose the water to be 
liquefied, thus forming a little globule of solution. This at¬ 
tempt to reduce all chemical action to a case of electrolytic dis¬ 
sociation in aqueous solution loses its point when it is shown 
that chemical action in solution is not dependent upon the elec¬ 
trical conductivity of that solution. 1 
In a recent address, Prof. H. El. Armstrong 2 says: “It is 
premature to conclude that gases undergo ionization—using the 
word in its modem sense:. I also venture to think that the ques¬ 
tion whether mere molecules cannot form conducting systems 
has not yet received in any way the attention it deserves from 
those engaged in these inquiries.” His suggestion that radio¬ 
activity may be due to ether vibrations induced by a rapidly 
vibrating atom of the radioactive substance, is full of interest, 
too. 
Regarding the presence of ions during the union of gaseous 
hydrogen with gaseous chlorine, Prof. J. J. Thomson 3 says: 
“The object of these experiments was to see whether there were 
any free ions present either in the preliminary stage when the 
expansion discovered by Draper is occurring, or (2) when the 
hydrogen chloride is being produced (from Cl 2 and H 2 ). At 
neither stage could I detect any free ions amounting to any¬ 
thing like one in 10 of the molecules present. I then tried 
whether the rate of combination was affected when ions were 
produced by external means, e. g., Rontgen rays, thorium radi¬ 
ation, etc. The results were negative. I could not detect the 
slightest effect.” Evidently, then, it is well established that 
1 Kelvin’s researches on contact E. M. F. show that an electrolite is not 
necessary to produce a difference of potential between substances. 
s Chem. News 85, ”2.218, 254; see also H. E. Patten J. Phys. Chem. 6, 
554,1902. Also Phil. Mag. 45, 172, 1898. 
3 Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc., 1901, 11, 90. 
