HOMOGENEOUS IONIC EQUILIBRIA 231 



systematic study- has been made of reactions of the hydrolytic type in 

 non-aqueous solvents. 



Certain solvents, such as sulphur dioxide, acetone and bromine, for 

 example, appear to be of a non-polar type. In these cases it is to be 

 expected that equilibria of the hydrolytic type do not exist. In the case 

 of polar solvents, however, we may expect equilibria of the hydrolytic 

 type even though hydrogen ions are not involved. Mercuric chloride 

 may serve as an example of this type of solvents. This salt, when fused, 

 dissolves typical binary salts and yields solutions which conduct the 

 current with considerable facility. If a salt of the type of potassium 

 nitrate, for example, were dissolved in mercuric chloride, reaction might 

 be expected to take place, with the formation of potassium chloride and 

 mercuric nitrate in the solution. This reaction is obviously of the hydro- 

 lytic type. Indeed, we see that reactions of the type MX + NY = 

 NX + MY, which take place in mixtures of fused salts, are of the 

 hydrolytic type. We have here, however, an extreme case in that, in all 

 likelihood, the ionization of the solvent itself is extremely high, whereas 

 in the case of ordinary hydrolytic reactions the ionization of the solvent 

 is exceedingly low. There is reason for believing that examples exist of 

 equilibria of the hydrolytic type intermediate between those of water 

 and those of mixtures of fused salts. 



