Vol. Ill, No. 4] Tlie Electrical State of Nascent Gases. 197 



[N.S.'] 



quite regardless of which of the many sugg'osted formulsB we 

 adopt as that best representing the decomposition of the chlorate. 

 Moissan^ mentions in particular four such equations as having 

 been advocated and supported by various experimenters, viz. : 



(1) 2KC103= KCl +KCIO4 +0^ 



(2) 8KC103= 3KCI + 5KCIO4 +2O2 



(3) lOKClOg^ 4KCI + 6KCIO4 +3O3 and 



(4) 22KC103«= SKCI + MKCIO^+SO;^ 



But in every case the total reaction is made up of the same 



two elements, viz, : 







K~0 



O 



II 



(i) K^O-^ 



+ V =K^C1+ K^0-01=0 + Og 



II 



o 







II 



and (ii) K-0-Cl=0 = KCl + 20 



II 

 O 



2 



and ultimately each molecule of the substance has to yield up 

 one atom of oxygen from the position intermediate between 

 K- and -CL 



As regards the different formula which have been put forward, 

 it is to be noticed that they may perhaps be traced to the different 

 physical conditions under which different observers have perform- 

 ed their experiments* Thus Frankland and Dingwall * found 

 that when the experimental vessel was heated with a naked flame, 



the reaction corresponded most nearly with equation (2) above, 

 while heating in a sulphur vapour bath produced results more 

 nearly corresponding to formula (3), and on the other hand heat- 

 ing the substance after mixture with finely powdered glass gave 

 results represented by (1). These variations are perhaps con- 

 nected with a discrepancy noticed during the course of the present 

 work between the results obtained when the generating vessel 

 was heated over a naked flame and in an air bath. It is just 

 possible that the discrepancies are due to the salt undergoing de- 

 composition being, in the one case, practically earthed and in the 

 other effectively insulated. Further investigations on this point 

 are at present in progress. 



1 Traite de Chimie Mlnerale, iii., 89. 



2 Journ. Chem. Soo. li/ f 1887), Trana. 274, 



