The balloon, _c_, becomes much divided, the cohesion of its parts being slight; it forms two triplets, a pair and a unit, and these set free, on further dissociation, no less than five separate atoms and two duads. The two triplets of _d_ each cast out an atom on dissociation, and form two pairs and two units. SODIUM (Plate VI, 2). It is convenient to consider sodium next, because it is the basic pattern on which not only copper, silver and gold are formed, but also chlorine, bromine and iodine. [Illustration] When sodium is set free from its gaseous condition, it divides up into thirty-one bodies--twenty-four separate funnels, four bodies derived from the two central globes, and three from the connecting rod. The funnels become spheres, and each contains four enclosed spheres, with more or less complicated contents. Each central globe yields a sextet and a quartet, and the rod sets free two quartets and a peculiarly formed sextet. When the proto-compounds are dissociated, the funnel-sphere sets free: (1) the contents of _a_, rearranged into two groups of four within a common sphere; the sphere yields four duads as hyper-compounds; (2) the contents of _b_, which unite themselves into a quartet, yielding two duads as hyper-compounds; and (3) the contents of the two spheres, _c_, which maintain their separation as meta-compounds, and become entirely independent, the atoms within the sphere revolving round each other, but the spheres ceasing their revolution round a common axis, and going off in different directions. The atoms break off from each other, and gyrate in independent solitude as hyper-"compounds." Thus each funnel yields finally ten hyper-bodies. The part of the central globe, marked _d_, with its six atoms, whirling round a common centre, becomes two triplets, at the meta-stage, preparing for the complete separation of these as hyper-bodies. The second part of the same globe, marked _e_, a whirling cross, with an atom at each point, becomes a quartet in the meta-state, in which three atoms revolve round a fourth, and in the hyper-state this central atom is set free, leaving a triplet and a unit. Each of the two bodies marked _f_, liberated from the connecting rod, shows four atoms whirling round a common centre, exactly resembling _e_ in appearance; but there must be some difference of inner relations, for, in the meta-state, they re-arrange themselves as two pairs, and divide into two as hyper-bodies. The body marked _g_ is a four-sided pyramid, with two closely joined atoms at its apex; these still cling to each in mutual revolution as a meta-body, encircled by a ring of four, and this leads to a further dissociation into three pairs on the hyper-level. CHLORINE (Plate V, 2). [Illustration]