IN ETHYL ALCOHOL. 67 



in a previous paper by the author. 1 In this earlier work he was studying 

 the effect of the presence of the large amount of the undissociated por- 

 tion of weakly dissociated acids, upon the conductivity and dissocia- 

 tion values and upon the dissociation constants. It had been pointed 

 out by Ostwald that in aqueous solutions the degree of dissociation, 

 for the same dilutions of trichloracetic, dichloracetic, monochloracetic, 

 and acetic acids shows a decrease in passing from the trichlor derivative 

 to the acetic acid in the order named. A like succession was observed 

 by Wildermann for the same acids in alcohol. 



(4) For hydrochloric acid in alcohol, results analogous to those in 

 water were obtained. A maximum value of the conductivity was noted. 



In summing up, Wildermann says that it is possible to apply the 

 Kohlrausch method to the determination of the conductivity of strong 

 organic or inorganic acids in absolute alcohol, but that no reliable 

 results could be obtained for such weak acids as acetic, monochloracetic, 

 and succinic. He remarks that much time and patience on the part of 

 the experimenter are required to obtain results that are at all reliable. 



In a second investigation by Wildermann 2 the same acids as in the 

 earlier work were studied, using in this case a precision galvanometer 

 method and working at 25 instead of at 18. He arrived at precisely 

 the same conclusions as before, except that he found the precision 

 method susceptible of more general application than that of Kohlrausch. 



Among those who have worked on conductivity in alcohol since 

 Wildermann are, Zelinsky and Krapiwin, 3 who determined the conduc- 

 tivity of a number of inorganic salts and acid salts of organic acids ; 

 Ernest Cohen, 4 who obtained the conductivity and dissociation of 

 several inorganic salts in absolute methyl alcohol at 18, and who 

 states that because of the action of the platinum electrodes upon the 

 solutions, measurements were unsafe at higher temperatures; Roth, 5 

 whose work had to do with the conductivity of potassium chloride in 

 alcohol-water mixtures; and others of minor importance. 



Some still more recent work 6 has been done in this laboratory with 

 inorganic salts both in methyl and in ethyl alcohol and alcohol-water 

 mixtures, but it need not be discussed here. (See Chapter IV.) 



EXPERIMENTAL. 



The conductivity apparatus used for making the measurements 

 was similar to that employed in previous work in this laboratory, except 

 that on account of the high resistances offered by the alcoholic solutions 

 of the acids, it was necessary to make use entirely of the cylindrical 

 type of conductivity-cell. The method of obtaining their constants 

 has previously been described 7 and need not be dealt with here. 



r. d. chem. Gesell., 26, 1782-1783 (1893). & Ibid., 42, 209 (1903). 



2 Zeit. phys. Chem., 14, 247 (1894). "Carnegie Inst. Wash. Pubs. Nos. 80 and 180. 



*Ibid., 21, 35 (1896). 7 Amer. Chem. Journ., 42, 527 (1909); 44, 64 



4 /Md.,25, 1 (1898). (1911). 



