ON SOLUBILITY. 



425 



A Report on Solubility. Part I. By J. Vargas Eyre, Ph.D. 



[Ordered by the General Committee to be printed in exlcnso.'] 



I. Introduction. 

 This report is the outcome of a systematic study of the literature 

 bearing on the question of the solubility of substances in general; the 

 material is classified chronologically and according to subject; and con- 

 tains a brief statement of the main conclusions arrived at by the various 

 authors. 



From almost the earliest times to the present the solubility of 

 substances has formed the subject of scientific inquiry ; a vast amount 

 of work has been recorded and many conflicting opinions have been 

 from time to time advanced. The published data were collected by 

 Storer (1864) to form the first Dictionary of Solubility ; the later 

 admirable compilations of Comey (1894) and Seidel (1906) have brought 

 this part of the subject well up to date. 



The importance of the study of solubility is to be emphasised; 

 indeed, there can be little doubt that the time is not far distant when 

 determinations of solubility will be more generally recognised as indica- 

 tive of the reactivity or condition of saturation of substances. In 

 view of this conclusion it was deemed desirable to classify all the 

 published work of general and theoretical interest, not only to show 

 the present position but to indicate more clearly the direction future 

 work on this subject should take. 



Classification of work that has been carried out with so many dif- 

 ferent, substances and under very divers conditions presented considerable 

 difficulty, more especially as the space to be occupied by this report 

 was small. The scheme of classification adopted is the result of an 

 attempt to avoid repetition and cross references as far as possible, and 

 to make the report quite brief. 



In compiling this report the original papers have for the most part 

 been consulted, but with so extensive a literature it was not always 

 possible to do this. All references are made to the original papers. 



