Note 13 — Chapter II · THE COMPOSITION OF WATER, HYDROGEN

For the same reason, many metals in acting on solutions of the alkalis displace hydrogen. Aluminium acts particularly clearly in this respect, because its oxide gives a soluble compound with alkalis. For the same reason tin, in acting on hydrochloric acid, evolves hydrogen, and silicon does the same with hydrofluoric acid. It is evident that in such cases the sum of all the affinities plays a part; for instance, taking the action of zinc on sulphuric acid, we have the affinity of zinc for oxygen (forming zinc oxide, ZnO), the affinity of its oxide for sulphuric anhydride, SO3 (forming zinc sulphate, ZnSO4), and the affinity of the resultant salt, ZnSO4, for water. It is only the first-named affinity that acts in the reaction between water and the metal, if no account is taken of those forces (of a physico-mechanical character) which act between the molecules (for instance, the cohesion between the molecules of the oxide) and those forces (of a chemical character) which act between the atoms forming the molecule, for instance, between the atoms of hydrogen giving the molecule H2 containing two atoms. I consider it necessary to remark, that the hypothesis of the affinity or endeavour of heterogeneous atoms to enter into a common system and in harmonious motion (i.e. to form a compound molecule) must inevitably be in accordance with the hypothesis of forces including homogeneous atoms to form complex molecules (for instance, H2), and to build up the latter into solid or liquid substances, in which the existence of an attraction between the homogeneous particles must certainly be admitted. Therefore, those forces which bring about solution must also be taken into consideration. These are all forces of one and the same series, and in this may be seen the great difficulties surrounding the study of molecular mechanics and its province—chemical mechanics.