80 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 65 



value in each case gives the susceptibility per gram (small type) and 

 the lower value the susceptibility per group of eight (large type). 

 It may be seen that while the former varies between — i.i and —.10 

 (ratio 11), the latter varies only between — 9.7 and —1.7 (ratio 

 5.7) : this makes the present view of the atom's structure seem all 

 the more plausible. 



We have seen on a broad scale the gradation between the 

 reinforced, isolated, and strained groups of eight (susceptibilities 

 — 70.9, —38.8, and about —5, respectively) ; but it must be admitted 

 that no gradations of a definite kind can be seen in the table just 

 given for salt molecules. This may possibly be due to impurities in 

 the materials used by Meyer. In any case a more careful scrutiny 

 of these relations, with more accurate data perhaps, may yield some 

 useful information about the structure of molecules. 



NOTE ON EXPERIMENTS SUGGESTED BY THIS THEORY 



1. The effect of a magnetic field on the electron concentration in 

 an earthed conductor, or on the potential of an insulated conductor : 

 A P. D. of 4X io~ 4 volt is expected for a field of 1,000 gauss, but 

 there are many complications (§18). 



2. The effect of a non-uniform magnetic field on the movements 

 of the H atoms worked with by I. Langmuir : The expectations from 

 this experiment are vague (§18). 



3. The magnetic properties of monatomic Iodine gas, diatomic 

 Sulphur gas, Sodium gas, N 2 4 and N0 2 , etc. : These determinations 

 present forbidding difficulties. 



Some of this work is under way, but it may readily be seen that 

 the problems are of such a nature that the attainment of significant 

 results may be a very slow and difficult process. This very circum- 

 stance, however, is a promising sign, for it is not likely that so impor- 

 tant a property of the electron as is here dealt with would have 

 remained undiscovered if the discovery of it were to be at all easy. 



The absence of chemical problems from this list may be noted. 

 Here, the theory has up to the present been occupied in correlating 

 a vast body of facts and lesser generalizations in a field where the 

 accumulation of experimental data has always far outstripped the 

 assimilation of it into theory ; and the result mentioned is therefore 

 to be expected at this stage. 



