﻿Positive 
  Rays. 
  671 
  

  

  the 
  negatively 
  electrified 
  particles 
  in 
  my 
  experiments 
  always 
  

   being 
  less 
  numerous 
  than 
  the 
  positive 
  ones, 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  very 
  

   much 
  so, 
  in 
  others 
  the 
  difference 
  was 
  not 
  very 
  great. 
  We 
  

   should 
  expect 
  the 
  negatively 
  electrified 
  particles 
  to 
  be 
  less 
  

   numerous 
  than 
  the 
  positive 
  ones, 
  since 
  they 
  would 
  more 
  

   readily 
  lose 
  their 
  charges 
  by 
  collision. 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  positive 
  rays 
  which 
  travel 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  

   cathode 
  arise 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  the 
  negative 
  rays 
  which 
  

   accompany 
  the 
  Oanalstrahlen. 
  Let 
  us 
  consider 
  what 
  

   happens 
  to 
  the 
  Oanalstrahlen 
  as 
  they 
  approach 
  the 
  cathode. 
  

   When 
  they 
  reach 
  the 
  cathode 
  some 
  of 
  them, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  

   get 
  neutralized 
  there, 
  some 
  will 
  go 
  further 
  than 
  this, 
  and 
  by 
  

   gathering 
  another 
  corpuscle 
  will 
  become 
  negatively 
  electrified; 
  

   those 
  negatively 
  electrified 
  ones 
  will, 
  however, 
  be 
  repslled 
  

   from 
  the 
  cathode, 
  and 
  under 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  electric 
  field 
  

   will 
  acquire 
  a 
  velocity 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  order 
  as 
  that 
  acquired 
  by 
  

   the 
  positive 
  particles 
  in 
  their 
  approach 
  to 
  the 
  cathode. 
  The 
  

   rapidly 
  moving 
  electrified 
  particles 
  will 
  in 
  their 
  course 
  

   through 
  the 
  gas 
  soon 
  lose 
  corpuscles 
  by 
  collision 
  and 
  thus 
  

   become 
  positively 
  electrified, 
  forming 
  the 
  positive 
  rays 
  which 
  

   come 
  from 
  the 
  cathode. 
  Such 
  rays, 
  however, 
  on 
  the 
  view 
  

   just 
  given 
  start 
  their 
  journey 
  with 
  a 
  negative 
  charge. 
  

  

  The 
  Canalstrahlen 
  and 
  the 
  positive 
  retrograde 
  rays 
  are 
  not 
  

   found 
  with 
  all 
  types 
  of 
  discharge, 
  thus 
  in 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  discharge 
  

   sometimes 
  called 
  the 
  flash 
  discharge 
  : 
  which 
  occurs 
  when 
  a 
  

   condenser 
  of 
  large 
  capacity 
  is 
  earthed 
  through 
  the 
  discharge- 
  

   tube, 
  the 
  discharge 
  passes 
  as 
  a 
  column 
  of 
  uniform 
  luminosity 
  

   stretching 
  from 
  one 
  electrode 
  to 
  the 
  other, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   dark 
  space 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  cathode. 
  In 
  this 
  

   case 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  detect 
  positive 
  rays 
  of 
  any 
  

   kind, 
  either 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  or 
  behind 
  the 
  cathode. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  important 
  to 
  distinguish 
  between 
  the 
  positive 
  ions 
  to 
  

   be 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  gas, 
  ionized 
  by 
  Rontgen 
  rays 
  and 
  not 
  exposed 
  

   to 
  electric 
  fields 
  strong 
  enough 
  to 
  give 
  to 
  them 
  very 
  high 
  

   velocities; 
  and 
  the 
  positive 
  ions 
  which, 
  like 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  Oanal- 
  

   strahlen, 
  have 
  very 
  great 
  kinetic 
  energy. 
  For 
  between 
  the 
  

   positive 
  charges 
  and 
  the 
  molecules 
  there 
  are 
  forces 
  comparable 
  

   in 
  intensity 
  to 
  those 
  which 
  exist 
  between 
  the 
  atoms 
  of 
  different 
  

   elements 
  having 
  the 
  greatest 
  chemical 
  affinity 
  for 
  each 
  other. 
  

   Thus, 
  unless 
  the 
  positive 
  ions 
  possess 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  certain 
  

   amount 
  of 
  kinetic 
  energy, 
  combination 
  will 
  go 
  on 
  with 
  great 
  

   rapidity 
  and 
  positively 
  charged 
  aggregates 
  will 
  be 
  formed. 
  

   If, 
  however, 
  the 
  positive 
  ions 
  are 
  moving 
  with 
  great 
  rapidity, 
  

   they 
  will 
  be 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  analogous 
  to 
  a 
  gas 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  high 
  

   temperature, 
  and 
  at 
  these 
  very 
  high 
  temperatures 
  chemical 
  

  

  