Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
February,  1920.) 
Ionic  Dissociation. 
St 
pharmacy  should  be  able  to  effect  a  permanent,  strong  and  well- 
rounded-out  plan  for  the  systematic  development  of  scientific 
research  along  lines  that  are  very  properly  claimed  as  the  distinct 
field  for  the  investigations  of  scientific  pharmacy.  The  fact  that 
while  it  is  to  be  advocated  by  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation no  one  organization  will  have  a  predominating  voice  in  the 
management  but  that  each  association  or  interest  joining  in  the 
foundation  will  have  an  equal  share  in  the  responsibility  of  man- 
agement and  in  the  working  out  of  the  details  of  the  plan,  is  a  strong 
point  in  its  favor  as  it  is  at  once  removed  to  the  high  plane  of  a 
truly  altruistic  movement  that  should  merit  endorsement  and  the 
hearty  support  of  all. 
IONIC   DISSOCIATION   AND  HYDROGEN-ION 
CONCENTRATION. 
By  Freeman  P.  Stroup,  Ph.M., 
PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 
Aristotle  is  credited  with  having  once  said,  "Nothing  can  be 
positively  known  and  even  this  cannot  be  positively  asserted." 
The  chemist  who  reviews  the  various  theories  that  have  been  ad- 
vanced to  explain  chemical  composition  and  chemical  reactions  is 
inclined  to  believe  the  old  philosopher  was  right,  at  least  in  so  far  as 
the  statement  applies  to  things  chemical.  If  we  could  see  the  ul- 
timate particles  which  make  up  what  we  call  matter,  and  could  study 
their  movements,  we  could  be  more  positive  in  our  conceptions. 
•  Man  is  a  theorizing  animal,  and  that  which  he  cannot  see  he  tries 
to  explain  by  imagining  things  about  it.  Such  has  been  the  history 
of  chemical  theory. 
The  greater  the  number  of  facts  that  can  be  consistently  explained 
by  one  and  the  same  theory  the  greater  the  probability  of  its  being 
true.  The  Ionic  Theory  consistently  explains  so  many  things  which, 
before  its  promulgation  by  Arrhenius,  were  inexplicable  by  any  of  the 
theories  previously  held  that,  though  there  are  yet  some  known  facts 
which  do  not  seem  to  be  in  accord  with  it,  chemists  generally  accept 
it  as  being  the  true  one.  It  is  not  my  intention  at  this  time  to  go 
into  a  discussion  of  the  facts  that  either  demonstrate  its  truth  or 
