SPECIFIC HEAT OF AMMONIA. 



403 



TABLE IV. 



Comparison of Values of the Saturation Specific Heat of the Liquid. 



known that the specific heat is increasing very rapidly wdth increasing 

 temperature, it w'as imperative that the ammonia be heated only over 

 small temperature ranges so that the mean value of the specific heat so 

 determined, would be very closely the actual value of the specific 

 heat at the mean temperature of the experiment. These two require- 

 ments, (1) a massive container, and, (2) heating over small tempera- 

 ture ranges, seriously affect the precision attainable with this method, 

 though it is believed that it is the only one so far proposed which is 

 adapted to measurements of the specific heat in the region under 

 investigation. 



Probably the principal source of error lies in the fact that the parts 

 of the calorimetric apparatus do not change temperature at the same 

 rate during the heating, and that considerable time must elapse after 



