Alpha Or God in Matter Author:Thomas Clarke Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Thus, we have Gum, Sugar, Tartaric acid, and Starch—these are all isomeric bodies —having the same composition. Again, any multiples of these numbers—polymeric— ... more »instead of forming similar, form bodies altogether diverse ; proving, therefore, that the same number of atoms may arrange themselves, not only in one, but in several groupings ; a different product arising from each re-arrangement. Thus again, Cyanic, Fulmi- aic, and Cyanuric acids, which have all different properties, are isomeric ; while Aldehyde, Acetic sether, and Butyric acid, are polymeric. Very many fragrant essential oils are isomeric and polymeric with turpentine C5 H4. Some isomeric bodies are both poisons and antidotes—there is a problem for you ! And in disease, when the kidney can no longer withdraw urea from the blood, and which is a deadly poison, the mucous membrane of the bowels adds 2 atoms of water (HO) to the urea, and passes it off, as carbonate of ammonia ; the form being C2 H4 O2 Na (urea) x 2HO (water) 2(NH3CO2) (carbonate of ammonia). Most of the protein compounds are very nearly isomeric with the serum of the blood, and I believe also with that of the brain. So, how do we know,with respect to Matter, that each of the groups of the elements I have mentioned may not be isomeric or polymeric ? There is certainly no greater difference between Starch, Gum, Tartaric acid, and Sugar, than between Sulphur, Selenium, Phosphorus, and Arsenic-; and which are all non-metalloids. And it is just as strange that you can have yellow, red, and black Sulphur, or that charcoal and the diamond should be both forms of pure carbon. E. I cannot tell you how all this fascinates me. All Creation seems as if it might be found, some time or other, resolving itself into one agent, and one form of Matter. R. Yes ; but ...« less