History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c14.s1.20

c14.s1.20

One atom unites with another under an inherent impulse to form a binary molecule or a compound of two atoms. The atoms possess an intrinsic vibratory or rotatory motion (*parispanda*). Atoms of the same *bhuta* uniting in pairs give rise to molecules with homogeneous qualities corresponding to the original quality of the atoms, provided that no chemical change under the action of heat corpuscles takes place. This obviously represents the formation of binary molecules of elementary substances according to our modern conception. The binary molecules then combine among themselves by groups of three, four, five, etc., to produce larger aggregates in obedience to the moral law underlying the creation. The variety of elementary substances is thus originated. Another view of the same school, however, maintains that some atoms may unite in pairs, some in triads, others in tetrads, etc., either directly or by the successive addition of one atom to each preceding aggregate. This leads to the formation of binary, ternary, and quarternary molecules, etc. The variety of substances of the same *bhuta* class, say of the earth substances, is thus the consequence of the difference in their molecular composition and configuration with the development of different specific qualities.