344 KEPORT— 1886. 



informed in theoretical chemistry. My old wish, that chemistry might make the 

 interesting results of electrical conductivity of service for its theoretical purposes, 

 has been realised in the recent memoirs of trained and clever chemists. Your own 

 work and the present report, supported by the authority of the British Association, 

 will, I am sure, bring forth other fruits in the field of electro-chemical theory. 



Yours very truly, 



F. KoHLRAtrscH. 



Contribution to our Knowledge of the Action of Fliddity on the Gonductivity 

 of Electrolytes {Behaviour of Jelly). By Svante Arehenius. Trans- 

 lated from 'Kongl. Vetenskaps-A kademiens Fordhandlingar,' 1885, 

 No. 6, Stockholm, hy Professor W. Ramsay. 



From numerous researches of physicists ' it has been held as proved that resistance 

 to the passage of an electric current undergoes the same variations as the internal 

 friction, i.e. that both increase or decrease simultaneously. This view is based 

 on a considerable number of data regarding the conductivity of salts in aqueous 

 solution. To obtain further knowledge on the subject it was necessary to test the 

 action of solvents other than water. This has been done by C. Stephan,^ who in- 

 vestigated the behaviour of alcoholic solutions, and found only an analogy between 

 electric resistance and internal friction, but not complete proportionality ; and this 

 has been confirmed by other observers.^ That proportionality exists, except in 

 some exceptional eases considered by Stephau,^ cannot be held. Unfortunately 

 Stephan has only investigated alcohoHc solutions containing from to 70 per cent, of 

 alcohol, i.e. those of which the internal friction is greater than that of water. Had 

 he investigated solutions richer in alcohol, he woidd doubtless have found that au 

 alcoholic solution of a salt has less conductivity than the corresponding more 

 aqueous solution, in spite of the former having less internal friction than the latter. 

 This has been clearly proved by Hittorf 's work,* and has been completely con- 

 firmed by Lenz's ^ investigations, although Lenz's work was not directed to that 

 point. 1 subsequently found on conversing with Professor Ostwald, of Riga, that 

 he, like myself, disbelieved in any connection between internal friction and resist- 

 ance, and he proposed that I should undertake the investigation of which au 

 account follows. From a paper by II. de Vries ' it follows further that the rate of 

 diflusion of a solution of salt is nearly independent of internal friction ; a result 

 which Graham's experiments had already indicated. Lastly, Long's ^ work shows 

 that the rate of difi'usion of an aqueous solution of a salt is nearly proportional to 

 its conductivity, whence it follows with high probability that the resistance must be 

 nearly independent of internal friction under similar conditions. And should this 

 prove to be true, the whole of our knowledge of the process of electrolysis would 

 be much simplified. 



The method of investigation was that proposed by Kohlrausch and Nippoldt.^ 



The resistance-vessels were of the same form as those I previously used. The 



platinised platinum terminals were l<3-5 mm. apart, the diameter of each was 



2-j'6 mm., and through each passed a glass tube 9 mm. in diameter. The solutions 



investigated were solutions of sodium chloride, zinc sulphate, and copper acetate, in 



' Among others G. "Wiedemann ; a detailed description of the work of others is 

 to be found in his Electricity. 



2 Wiedemann's Annaleyi, 1882, xvii. p. 673. 



^ E. Wiedemann has proved this to be the case with solutions in glycerine (Wie- 

 demann's Annalen, 1883, p. 20. 



■* Stephan's figures do not exhibit this proportionality. The ratio is not a 

 constant one. 



* PoggendorfE's Annalen, 1859, cvi. p. 554. 



* Mem. Acad. Imp. St. Pctersbourg, ser. 7, p. .30, No. 9. 

 ' Beiblatter, 1885, p. 160. 



* Wiedemann's Annalen, ix. p. 623. 



* Poggendorff's Annalen, cxxxviii. pp. 280 and 870. 



