The Rate of Explosions in Gases. 



133 



ance between the found and calculated rates for carbonic 

 oxide with both oxygen and nitrous oxide. I had previously 

 discovered that pure carbonic oxide cannot be exploded 

 either with pure oxygen or pure nitrous oxide. The dis- 

 cordance found by Berthelot was what I should have 

 expected from my own experiments. 



Table II. 



Combustible ,^ases ivHh oxygen and nitrogcii. 



When the explosive gases are mixed with an inert gas, 

 nitrogen, which takes no part in the reaction, the same law 

 holds good — except when the nitrogen is added in excess. 

 Before the gases are diluted sufficiently to stop the explo- 

 sion, there is found a marked falling-off in the velocity. 

 The formula gives the theoretically highest rate the explo- 

 sion can attain — a maximum reached in a few cases only, 

 but approached in a large number. 



A consideration of Berthelot's results, published in full 

 in the 'Annales de Chimie,' led me to think it would be 



