178
DOC.
253
FEBRUARY
1911
According
to
Ostwald,
Avogadro's
law,
and that of
Faraday
(electrolysis), can
be
expressed
more or
less
as
follows:
If
one
takes the
masses
of various substances
in
proportion
to
their
combining weights
(the
extensity
factors of
chem.
energy),
then the
values
one
obtains for the
capacity
extensity
factors
of
the
other
energies
(volume,
quantity
of
electricity)
stand
in
simple
whole-number ratios. From the
fact
that the
properties
of
pure
substances
are
constant, and
assuming
an
atomic
structure,
Dalton
derived his law
of
combining
weights.[3]
Helmholtz
inferred
from
Faraday's
law
that
if
one
assumes an
atomic
structure for
ordinary matter,
then
such
a
structure
is
also
justified
for the
quantity
of
electricity-this
is
how the
later
electron
was
born.[4]
Now,
if the
above
relationship
that
was
proved
by
Ostwald
holds
also
for other
energies,
then
an
atomic
structure
is
justified
for
these
capacity
factors
as
well.
There does
not
exist
an
exact
relationship
in the
case
of thermal
energy,
but
only
approximate
ones
like
the
Dulong-Petit
rule,
and
[B.... .....]
rule,
and, accordingly,
no
"thermon" has
yet
been
accepted.
On
the other
hand,
this
extergon
hypothesis
[extensity
factor of the
energy][5]
makes the facts of
radioactivity
appear
in
a new light.
The radiant
particles
are
different
kinds
of
"radions."
Now,
how
about
the
radiant
energy?
As I
see
things,
the
oscillation
frequency
v
could be
considered
an
intensity
factor. This would
make understandable the
facts
that
short-wave
light
is
more
effective
than
long-wave
light,
that the
velocity
of
photoelectrically produced
cathode
rays
is
independent
of
the
intensity
of the
light,
that
high
temperatures
are
needed
in
order for the radiation
emitted
by
the
body
to
contain
short-wave
components,
because
short-wave
light is,
in
this
sense,
light
of
higher
intensity.
In the
sense
of
this
analysis,
a
fluorescent substance
conforming
to
Stoke's
rule[6]
is
a
machine
that
converts
light
of
higher intensity
to
light
of
lower
intensity.
A
quantity
with the
dimension
[M
L2
T1],[7] for
which I
wanted
to
propose
the
name
"chronergy") (from
Chronos
x
Energy[)],
appears
then
as
the
extensity
factor.
The
elementary quantum
of
action
h,
the
chronergon, or, also, "photon"
would
then
be
the
corresponding atom.
I
would be most
grateful
if
you
would be
so
kind
as
to comment
on
this
very sketchy
exposition.
Respectfully,
Richard
Swinne
Technical
University
Labor. of
Phys.
Chem.