43 



221 



the samples were eulircly purified from the small amount of nitrogen they contained, 

 then the hydrogen and the carbon monoxide were destroyed, and at last, having 

 determined the volumes of the remaining gases, — now only consisting of rare, 

 inactive gases, -- the argon and the helium were separated. 



In these three different operations, viz. the absorption of nitrogen, the destruc- 

 tion of hydrogen and carbon 



monoxide, and the sépara- To the water jet pump 



tion of argon and helium, I 

 make use of an arrangement 

 in all essentials similar to 

 that shown in Fig. 11. One 

 end of the tube connection 

 R, K, P is attached to the 

 automatic mercury pump, 

 while the other end is closed 

 by the porous plug C, which, 

 together with the bend b of 

 the tube R, is constantly 

 covered by mercury in the 

 glass vessel N. All the india- 

 rubber connections between 

 the tubes are made airtight 

 by mercury. Having emptied 

 the tubes up to the plug C 

 by means of the mercury 

 pump until a complete va- 

 cuum is attained, the gas is 

 sucked into the system of 

 tubes R, K, P through the 

 porous plug C, by sinking 

 the tube containing the gas 

 into the mercury of the vessel 

 N, until the plug is in con- 

 tact with the gas. In the 

 glass tube K, the form of 

 which varies according to 

 the purpose of the experi- 

 ment, the gas is passed over 

 the agent intended to react on it. The remaining gas can now very easily be 

 collected again in the collecting tube by means of the pump, and in order to 

 make sure that the reaction is complete, the gas is twice passed through the tubes 

 R, K, P. It is evident that one could go on indefinitely in this way, but it was 



29' 



Fig. 11. 



