1897.] Newly Prepared Gases. 349 



Table III. - Oxygen from KOH electrolyte. 



(4) The numbers given in the tables show that in each case 

 the weight of the cloud is proportional to the charge, and that this 

 proportionality does not vary with the temperature of the water 

 from which the cloud is formed, at least within the limits of 0° and 

 14° C. The ratio is not so exact in the case of the negative oxygen 

 as it is for the other gases. The only chemical difference that was 

 detected was that the former were slightly acid and the latter 

 alkaline in their reactions. Since the vapour rising from hot 

 caustic potash does not change red litmus to blue, the alkalinity of 

 the gas must be due to small particles of caustic potash which are 

 carried with the gas from the electrolyte and give it an alkaline 

 reaction even after bubbling through sulphuric acid, this could 

 easily be detected at all temperatures of the cell by letting the 

 oxygen or hydrogen pass along a tube with red litmus. 



The oxygen given off by the electrolysis of caustic potash has 

 no appreciable charge till the temperature of the cell is up to 

 about 20° C. and the cloud begins to appear at the same time as 

 the charge on the gas, so that the presence of the alkaline spray 

 can have only a very small effect as no cloud is observed in the 

 oxygen coming from the cell at a temperature 10° C. although the 

 presence of the spray of caustic potash can be easily detected. 



(5) The following simple experiments show how intimately 

 connected the charge on the gas is with the formation of the 

 cloud. 



The apparatus used is shown in figure 2. The oxygen given off 

 by a current of ten amperes from a caustic potash cell of specific 

 gravity 13 was bubbled through a solution of potassium iodide in 

 the flash A to remove any traces of ozone. Before entering the 

 inductor / the gas bubbled through water in B. The inductor / 

 was insulated and connected to the quadrants of the electrometer 

 so that the charge on the gas that entered it could be read off on 



