﻿854 
  Prof. 
  A. 
  Righi 
  : 
  New 
  Experiments 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  observed 
  two 
  successive 
  maximums. 
  Finally, 
  if 
  a 
  sufficient 
  

   intensity 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  be 
  attained, 
  the 
  column 
  gets 
  shorter 
  and 
  

   may 
  even 
  disappear. 
  One 
  might 
  therefore 
  say 
  that 
  ions- 
  

   electron 
  doublets 
  are 
  first 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  principal 
  contribution 
  

   of 
  the 
  positive 
  ions 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  gases, 
  while 
  with 
  the 
  more 
  

   intense 
  field 
  the 
  same 
  gas 
  approaches 
  the 
  conditions 
  by 
  which 
  

   the 
  production 
  of 
  magnetic 
  rays 
  diminishes, 
  the 
  latter 
  

   doublets 
  being 
  then 
  chiefly 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  positive 
  ions 
  

   furnished 
  by 
  the 
  second 
  of 
  the 
  gases 
  present. 
  Of 
  course, 
  it 
  

   is 
  not 
  a 
  demonstrated 
  fact; 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  impression 
  which 
  

   the 
  phenomenon 
  gives. 
  It 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  useless, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  

   trace 
  curves 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  mentioned 
  above, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  two 
  gases. 
  By 
  mixing 
  N 
  and 
  CO, 
  I 
  

   have 
  obtained 
  curves 
  not 
  very 
  different 
  from 
  those, 
  not 
  far 
  

   apart 
  from 
  each 
  other, 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  gases 
  taken 
  

   separately. 
  By 
  the 
  mixture 
  of 
  H 
  and 
  C0 
  2 
  I 
  have 
  obtained 
  

   curves 
  placed 
  between 
  those 
  (for 
  equal 
  pressure) 
  belonging 
  

   to 
  H 
  or 
  to 
  C0 
  2 
  , 
  nearer 
  to 
  one 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  according 
  as 
  

   the 
  proportion 
  of 
  H 
  or 
  C0 
  2 
  in 
  the 
  mixture 
  is 
  greater. 
  But 
  

   I 
  have 
  studied 
  more 
  thoroughly 
  the 
  mixture 
  of 
  N 
  with 
  H. 
  

   Having 
  first 
  obtained 
  the 
  indication 
  of 
  a 
  virtual 
  anode 
  in 
  

   hydrogen 
  I 
  have 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  about 
  1/50 
  of 
  nitrogen, 
  

   and 
  the 
  result 
  has 
  not 
  varied 
  to 
  any 
  sensible 
  degree. 
  I 
  had 
  

   to 
  add 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  more 
  of 
  nitrogen 
  before 
  I 
  could 
  ascertain 
  

   any 
  important 
  modification. 
  

  

  This 
  does 
  not 
  agree 
  with 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  hydrogen 
  

   produces 
  the 
  usual 
  effects 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  

   nitrogen. 
  With 
  a 
  certain 
  proportion 
  of 
  N 
  and 
  H 
  and 
  with 
  

   certain 
  pressures 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  another 
  peculiarity. 
  For 
  

   instance, 
  having 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  tube 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  five 
  

   parts 
  of 
  H 
  and 
  two 
  parts 
  of 
  N 
  and 
  reduced 
  the 
  pressure 
  to 
  

   0*16 
  mm., 
  when 
  I 
  caused 
  the 
  exploring 
  coil 
  to 
  run 
  along 
  the 
  

   tube 
  I 
  found, 
  for 
  each 
  intensity 
  of 
  field, 
  two 
  positions 
  in 
  

   which 
  a 
  virtual 
  anode 
  seems 
  to 
  exist. 
  

  

  The 
  curve 
  therefore 
  becomes 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  branches 
  

   almost 
  superposed 
  in 
  correspondence 
  with 
  the 
  feeble 
  intensity 
  

   of 
  the 
  field, 
  and 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  separated 
  when 
  the 
  intensity 
  

   is 
  greater. 
  Here, 
  too, 
  one 
  is 
  tempted 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  explanation 
  

   suggested 
  by 
  the 
  admitted 
  hypothesis. 
  One 
  would 
  say, 
  in 
  

   fact, 
  that 
  two 
  virtual 
  anodes 
  are 
  formed 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  

   the 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  ions-electron 
  

   doublets, 
  namely 
  those 
  containing 
  positive 
  ions 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   gases 
  and 
  those 
  formed 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  

   ions 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  scission 
  of 
  such 
  doublets 
  will 
  reach, 
  

   in 
  the 
  tube, 
  two 
  regions 
  differently 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  cathode. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  reasons 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  divergencies 
  

  

  