l8o STASIAN FOLLY AND FRAUD. 



XII. It is also generally known, and should certainly be 

 known by all who pretend to be experts in this matter of the 

 reductions of experimental determinations, that 



When the observed values for a constant follow a definite 

 cttrve, there are systematic errors present, and the arithmetical 

 mean of the observed values has no sense at all. 



The constant here in question is the atomic weight of 

 nitrogen or the analytical ratio of Stas. 



If we accept the famous syntheses of silver nitrate by 

 Stas, to be exactly true as reported (and corrected for pal- 

 pable errors in No. 8 and No. 6, as shown), what do his 

 actual results prove? 



XIII. That the atomic weight of nitrogen is a function 

 of the amount of silver used in its determination; and 



XIV. That the atomic weight of nitrogen is higher in 

 dried nitrate than in fused nitrate of silver. 



XV. This difference between what we may briefly call 

 "dried" and "fused" atoms of nitrogen is greatest for 

 about 150 grammes of silver taken by Stas for a determina- 

 tion ; and that 



XVI. This difference, for 150 grammes of silver, 

 amounts to about 0.02, which is fully one-half of the entire 

 excess 0.04 claimed by Stas for N above 14 exactly. 



XVII. It appears also very plainly, that if Stas had 

 continued to work exactly in the manner as he did (but had 

 kept out of pits 4000 meters deep, and stayed away from his 

 laboratory when it got 200 degress below the freezing point) 

 he would have found values for N getting less and less, as 

 he used more and more silver; he would also have found the 

 fused and the dried silver nitrate to differ less and less in 

 weight. See our curves, Plate II. 



XVIII. And finally, if he had made a few determinations 

 with 550 to 580 grammes of silver, he would have obtained 

 practically the same weight for his dried and fused silver 

 nitrate, and 



XIX. The atomic weight of nitrogen would have been 

 found exactly 



N = 14.000. 



