10 Proceedings of the Rot/al h'ish Academy. 



Discission of Results. 



The mobilities of the ions produced by phosphorus are given in column G, 

 Table V. The other columns were given, in the manner shown, in the paper 

 on the ions due to alcohol. Thev are reproduced here to show that the 

 agreement, indicated at the time, between the mobilities of the ions due to 

 different agents includes also the phosphorus ions. Column A shows the 

 results of J. J. Xolan' on the mobilities of ions due to spraying distilled 

 water. Only the mobilities smaller than 1'09 are given. Columns B, C, D, 

 and E give the mobilities of the ions produced by bubbling air through 

 mercury under ditt'erent conditions. Column F shows the mobilities of the 

 ions due to bubbling air through alcohol. We see from this table that the 

 ions dealt with in the present paper correspond to ions previously observed, 

 the only exceptions being the two slowest ions. The agreement between 

 the numbere througliout is so good as to leave no doubt but tliat the phos- 

 phorus ions are built up in the same way as the ions produceil by bubbling 

 and spraying. 



E. Bloch considers that all the properties of phosphorised air indicate 

 that the ions in it are some oxides of phosphorus collected around charged 

 nuclei, and L. Uloch is of a similar opinion. It is very difticult to reconcile 

 this view with our conclusion that the phosphorus ions are very similar to 

 the ions due to bubbling and sjiraying. As there is every reason to believe 

 that the latter ions are composed of water, we couclude that the phosphorus 

 ions are also composed of water. It is possible that the original charged 

 nucleus is formed of an oxide of phosphorus, and that the various ions are 

 formed from this by accretions of water. The similarity Ijelween the 

 ionisation from the various 80UIX^e8 permits us to assume a different nucleus 

 as the original starting-point of the ions ; it does not allow us to postulate 

 a different giowth system. 



The general result of drying, both among the slow and the fast ions, was 

 to bring the more mobile ions into prominence. No other deduction, such 

 as a division of the ions into those which occur only with dry air and those 

 which are formed only with undried air, can be made from our experiments. 

 Investigations on the effect of drying on the phosphorus ionisation, aiming 

 at a much higher degree of dr)ing, are at present being undertaken. 



' Proc Roy. Irish Academy, vol. xxxiii, Section A, 1916. 



