358 



showed however that the result was substantially correct, and 



the following experiments will show that it is also in perfect 



agreement with theory. 



The following table gives the values for the tension 0, the 



total quantity of CO« present in 1 1. of the water i?, the 



quantity of free carbonic acid d^ the quantity of carbonic acid 



combined with the alkali В — d = ß, the difference between 



this quantity and the alkalinity or, in other words, the quantity 



of CO^ combined to form bicarbonates /9 — A = ij, and, finally, 



ß B^) 



the saturation proper '^, and the approximate saturation -^ . 



/? Fi 



^ and -J are given in the adjoined curves. 



As already pointed out by Bamberg the quantity of alkali 

 present as free base must be extremely small and negligible, 

 and the reaction between the bases and the acid may be looked 

 upon as a reversible interaction between normal carbonates and 

 free carbonic acid. It follows from well-established chemical laws 

 that all the bases of the seawater must form carbonates and 

 take part in the reaction, but it is equally certain that they 

 cannot do so to the same extent, owing to their varying 

 quantities and affinities, and there are good reasons for believing, 

 with DiTTMAR, that the alkalinity is almost exclusively made up 



This last-mentioned quantity is called the saturation by several Authors. 



