56 Mr. H. B. Dixmi. [May 20, 



May 29, 1884. 

 THE PRESIDENT in the Chair. 



The Presents received were laid on the table, and thanks ordered 

 for them. 



Mr. Henry B. Medlicott (elected 1877) was admitted into the 

 Society. 



The following Papers were read : 



I. " The Conditions of Chemical Change in Gases: Hydrogen, 

 Carbonic Oxide, and Oxygen." By HAROLD B. DlXQN, M.A. 

 Communicated by Professor A. W. WILLIAMSON, Foreign 

 Sec. R.S. Received May 15, 1884. 



(Abstract.) 



Bnnsen,* in 1852, exploded mixtures of carbonic oxide and 

 electrolytic gas in different proportions in order to test the correctness 

 of the " Law of Mass." According to this law the division of oxygen 

 between two combustible gases depends both on the relative affinity 

 of the two combustibles for oxygen, and on the quantities of them 

 present. -In 1857 Bunsenf published some further experiments on 

 the same subject. He concluded from his results that the Law of 

 Mass was modified in a particular way by the tendency of the atoms 

 to form simple hydrates of carbonic acid ; so that the ratio of 

 carbonic oxide to hydrogen might be changed within certain limits 

 without altering the proportion in which the oxygen divides itself ; 

 but, on still further changing the ratio of carbonic oxide to hydrogen, 

 the proportion in which the oxygen divides itself changes per salt urn. 

 The ratio between the carbonic acid and the stream produced in the 

 explosion might always be expressed, according to Bunsen, by small 

 integers. 



In 1874 E. v. MeyerJ published experiments on the incomplete 

 combustion of mixtures of carbonic oxide and hydrogen by oxygen 



* " Ann. Chem. Pharm.," liixv, 137. 



t Bunsen, " Gaa Meth.," 1857. 



J " Journ. Prakt. Chem." (u), i, 273. 



