Sun and Earth as Great Forces in Chemistry

Abstract

THE author of this work, professing himself the preacher of a new doctrine, theorises, to use his own words, “on the phenomena of chemistry... considering the whole of chemistry as but heat acting on matter.” The sun is considered to exert some subtle chemical influence on matter, but, unfortunately for science, these effects, we are told, cannot be studied experimentally, “yet we can do so theoretically to a very useful extent.” After carefully perusing the twelve chapters in which this eminently theoretical treatment is carried out, we are driven to ask ourselves whether Dr. Hall's views are not more of the nature of complication than of explanation. It may be safely affirmed that the phenomena of chemistry are far more easily explained by existing theories—imperfect though they be—than by the obscure reasoning based on perfectly gratuitous assumptions in which the present volume abounds. Neither is the work free from the grave charge of inaccuracy. The writer who speaks of the sun as an “everlasting, universal, equable heat source,” cannot be acquainted with Sir Wm. Thomson's paper on the dissipation of energy. On page 37 the equivalent of iodine is stated to be 125; on page 46 we are told that potassium is negative to sulphur. It will be new to our readers to learn (p. 50) that “attraction in chemistry does not differ from that in physics,” and that carbon disulphide is prepared (p. 52) by powdering, mixing, and heating carbon with sulphur. On page 108 we are informed that “latent heat is, by the study of galvanism, resolvable into electricity.” We do not differ from Dr. Hall in considering the following idea of the cause of electro-magnetism as “most rudimentary and rough.” Speaking of a solenoid, the author states (p. 116), “Such a solenoid or its latent-heat current will avoid the latently hot parts of the earth—that is, her equator—and will place itself at right angles to the equator—that is, move away from the equator as far as it can; will, in fact, assume a position parallel to the magnetic meridian of the place, &c.” The phraseology adopted by Dr. Hall must be characterised as eminently original; we select a few expressions to submit to the judgment of our readers: —“Proto-metalloidations,” “nitridations,” “hydro-soluble,” “tensified, unmorphigenic electroid,” “disoccupied,” “very unnegative hydrogen,” “hydrohalogenic acid,” “equo-terro-solar equilibrium,” “protometalloidid,” “disequilibrium.” The description of the combustion of carbon is perhaps worth quoting entire:—“Carbon combines with oxygen, leaves its solid shape for a gaseous one, forming carbonic anhydrid gas, and this greatly because of carbon's own heat constitution; and, further, because of the intense nearness of the oxygen to carbon and our earth's comparative distance; this because also of the excellent heat capacity of oxygen itself: and thus carbon with oxygen leaps up into carbonic anhydrid gas, earth loosened into the highest sun forms, approaching that of oxygen itself, for the heat capacities of carbon are near those of oxygen: but the oxy-terric struggle for carbon is arduous; our earth has greatly in her favour her immensity, but then she is far off, and her forces decrease with distance; but even so, for freeing carbon from our earth's control, oxygen requires always, as we know, the further assistance of heat on carbon; we always, for oxy-carbonic combination, have to set fire to carbon” On p. 34 we are gravely informed that potassium, even under naphtha, is acted upon by sun and earth forces, and becomes covered with an “allotropic crust.” The author then goes on to remark that this behaviour arises from the fact that free potassium is “not a child of nature or of our sun, but of furnace heat, and its equilibrium taken with furnace heat must become slowly changed to that of our sun.” In the new theory a metallic protoxide is thus formularised: E_xM₁O, “in which E stands for our negative earth, and x for the part she takes in the action not quantitatively known”—we may venture to add, nor yet qualitatively. It would be as tedious as unnecessary to give further quotations in illustration of the manner in which Dr. Hall has handled his subject—the extracts given above will doubtless serve as a caution to readers intending to take up the book. The selections themselves will render further comment a work of supererogation.

Sun and Earth as Great Forces in Chemistry.

Thos. W.

Hall

By. (London: Trübner and Co.)