﻿136 



BACON. 



I was surprised to discover, as is shown by experiment 1, that the 

 quantity of uranium salt present did not markedly affect the rate of 

 the decomposition of oxalic acid, but it was even more curious to find 

 that the amount of oxalic acid also had relatively little effect. 



Experiment 17. — 



(a) 4 grams oxalic acid. 



1.753 grams uranium acetate. 



100 cubic centimeters water. 

 (6) 2.5 grams oxalic acid. 



1.753 grams uranium acetate. 



100 cubic centimeters water. 



Time. 



a. m. 9.24 to 10.02 



10.04 to 10.20 



10.22 to 10.43 



10.45 to 11.08 



11.10 to 11.30 (shady) 



p. m. 1.35 to 2.01 



2.03 to 2.22 



2.25 to 2.4(5 



Quantities in cubic centimeters. 

 Experiment 18. — 



(a) 7 grams oxalic acid. 

 1.753 grams uranium acetate. 

 100 cubic centimeters water. 



( b ) 2.5 grams oxalic acid and the same amounts of uranium 



acetate and water as in (a). 



(a) 



(6) 



30 



20 



31 



27 



38 



35 



31 



30 



21 



21 



35 



29 



32 



32 



32 



30 



Time. 



(a) 



(b) 



9.00 to 9.45 



35 



25 



9.47 to 10.04 



33 



29 



10.07 to 10.28 



34 



30 



10.30 to 10.40 



32 



24 



10.43 to 11.08 



32 



24 



11.28 to 11.45 



38 



32 



1.32 to 2.00 



33 



12 



2.03 to 2.25 



35 



13 



2.27 to 2.50 



35 



11 



p. m. 



There is therefore relatively little difference in the initial rate of the reaction, 

 but as it proceeds, a marked variation begins to be noted. 



I have also made few preliminary observations on the action of uranium 

 acetate in the sunlight, on the decomposition of several organic acids. 

 Propionic acid very slowly gives off carbon dioxide, mixed with a com- 

 bustible gas which is probably ethane, but the amount which I had 

 at my disposition was too small to identify. Wisbar 5 has shown that 

 n-butyric acid gives propane and carbon dioxide. Tartaric acid evolves 

 carbon dioxide quite rapidly and among the decomposition products 



''Ann. Chem. (Liebig) (1891), 262, 232. 



