( 121 ) 



Under the just staled conditions the adsorption equilibrium is 

 reaelied at a temperature of the room of 19° centigrade in about 

 ten minutes, as will appear from the following table: 



after 1 min. exposition odourless within 1 day 

 „ 2 „ „ „ alter 1 „ 



„ 3 „ ,. „ „ 2 days. 



„ 4 .. „ „ „ 3 ,, 



„ 5 „ ,. „ .. 4 



„ in „ „ „ ., 5 



„ 20 „ „ „ ., 4 „ 



ADSORPTION ODOUR. 



E P xposil'iön at0D at20 ° at4 ° 5 at60 ' *'«» 



5 min. 8 days 3 a 5 days 2 days 1 1 2 days 1 day 



10 „ 10 „ 5 „ 1 3 „ 2 „ 2 days 



15 „ l a little over 10 days a little over 5 days j 4 „ 2 „ 2 „ 



Nickel-plated copper tubes, treated in the same way, show saturation 

 after an exposition of about 5 minutes, it making no difference 

 whether this takes place at 0", 20° or 40°. Complete loss ofadsorp- 

 tion odour was found in these eases after respectively 4, 2 and 2 days. 



From these experiments follows that a higher temperature during 

 the exposition causes the state of saturation to he reached onlv little 

 sooner, but thai the degree of adsorption is much smaller at a higher 

 temperature. This proves that with higher temperatures the equilibrium 

 is shifted in the direction of minimum adsorption. 



The facts, stated until now, agree very well with the hypothesis 

 of a solution of muscon in the layer of condensed water-vapour, 

 carbonic acid and air which covers all objects. Assuming this, we 

 are led to believe that on nickel-plated copper this layer is thinner 

 than on lead, alloyed with tin, and that consequently in the former 

 case the equilibrium during exposition is reached sooner than in the 

 latter, while temperature has the same influence on them both and in 

 the same degree. The fact that tubes, heated beforehand and treated 

 in dry air, give the same results, is not at variance with this since 

 we may not expect that the condensed layer will by this treatment 

 be completely removed. Also the transition of the smell of muscon 

 into that of muse must take place in this layer, the only curious 

 point being that temperature has so little influence on the rate of 



