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XLIV. 



THE DETERMINATION OF THE RATE OF SOLUTION OF 

 ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN AND OXYGEN BY WATER. 



Part II. 



By W. E. ADENEY, D.Sc, A.R.C.Sc.L, F.T.C., 

 Acting- Professor of Chemistry in the Royal College of Science for Ireland ; 



AND 



H. G. BECKER, A.R.C.Sc.1., Research Student. 



[Read May 27. Published September S, 1919.] 



I. — Introduction. 

 In the first part of this communication 1 a method of studying the rate of 

 solution of air by water was described, and some results were given, which 

 showed that, when the water was kept thoroughly mixed and the water-air 

 surface unbroken, the phenomenon took place in accordance with the general 

 equation 



dw , 



- = a - bw, 



in which a represents the initial rate of solution, and bw the rate of 

 escape of the gas from the water, b being a constant depending on the 

 conditions of the experiment. 



The method of experimenting consisted in enclosing a large bubble of air, 

 of known volume, in a narrow tube containing de-aerated water, and allowing 

 the bubble to pass up through the water repeatedly until saturation was 

 reached. The pressure in the bubble was measured after each double passage 

 up the tube by means of a water manometer, and this gave data for calculating 

 the absorption which took place step by step to saturation. 



With the object of reducing the observations to unit area and volume, 

 experiments have been continued along these lines, and the results are given 

 in this communication. The apparatus employed for these later experiments 

 has been modified in a manner which experience showed was necessary ; and 

 the determinations have been extended to include oxygen and nitrogen as 

 pure gases. 



1 Scientific Proc, R.D.S., vol. xv. 1918, p. 385. 



SCIENT. PROC. R.D.S., VOL. XV., NO. XLIV. 5 D 



£ :• 



