BORON AND FLUORINE. 25 



The third decimals in the above values are uncertain. How- 

 ever, as the atomic weights of boron and fluorine were to be 

 calculated to three decimals, and since these two values are 

 roughly of the order of magnitude of the antecedents, it seemed 

 reasonable to assume the latter also to the third decimals. The 

 above fundamental values were decided upon before the final 

 calculations were made. Whether another set of values would 

 have led to a more concordant series of results for boron is of 

 little consequence in the present case. If the methods applied 

 in this investigation were to furnish a severe check upon the 

 fundamental atomic weights used, a much larger number of 

 individual determinations would have been necessary (see table 1, 

 p. 42). For the determination of the atomic weights of boron 

 and fluorine, however, the number of experiments seems adequate. 



