1894.] The Action of Heat upon Ethylene. 107 



Then the amount of ethylene decomposed is 98*03 15'00 = 83*03, 

 and this should give 



3C 2 H 4 = 2C 2 

 83-03 55-35 55'35 calculated. 

 62-6 39-9 found. 



Evidently, therefore, some of the methane has decomposed, forming 

 acetylene and hydrogen. Amount of methane decomposed 55'35 

 39-9 = 15-45, 



2UH4 C 2 H 2 -|-3II 2 . 



15-45 7-72 23-16 



Adding this acetylene on to that already calculated for the decom- 

 position of ethylene, we get 55'35 + 7'72 = 63'07, a figure nearly 

 equal to the acetylene found. 



Taking into consideration the complexity of the changes involved 

 and the difficulty in obtaining great accuracy in gas analysis, these 

 results seem to me to prove that the primary action of heat upon 

 ethylene may be represented by the equation 



3C 2 H 4 = 2C 2 H 2 + 2CH 4 , 



whilst the final decomposition is as represented by previous ob- 

 servers, 



G 2 H 4 C 2 -f- 2H 2 , 



and that between these two extremes there occur a large number of 

 interactions due to the polymerisation of the acetylene formed' from 

 the ethylene, and also at higher temperatures from the methane, 

 according to the equation 



2CH 4 = C 2 H 2 +3H 2 . 



In conclusion, I desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr. F. 

 B. Grundy for the assistance he has rendered me in this investiga- 

 tion, 



