924 Dr. R. D. Kleeman on Disintegration of an Ion 



electric field does not assist in the breaking np of the clusters, 

 as is the case in the experiments just described, rj is inde- 

 pendent of the electric field. Its value is then the same as 

 that it has when negative ion clusters and free ions not 

 under the action of an electric field are in equilibrium with 

 one another. Let us apply the equation to the first and 

 third readings obtained with C0 2 for the negative ions on the 

 supposition that the velocity of a stable cluster is approxi- 

 mately the same as that of an ion as found in practice, when 

 it goes through a cyclic process during which it is a free ion 

 for a certain time. We then obtain the two equations 



1-640 Xl0 4 = ^ + M-535xl0 6 , 

 and 1-485 X 10 4 = £ 2 77 + h 6-782 x 10 5 . 



The velocity of an ion in C0 2 at a standard pressure for 



cm 

 one volt per cm. is taken as *85- — -. An inspection of the 



equations shows that they give ^ negative, which of course 

 cannot be the case in practice. If we take into account that 

 the number of ions drawn through the gauze might slightly 

 increase with increase of field, the left-hand side of the last 

 equation has to be multiplied by an appropriate fraction, as 

 will be seen on inspecting equation (2). But this will not 

 make k x positive. Neither will putting a smaller value for 

 the velocity of a cluster under unit electric field,, which 

 amounts to multiplying the numerical quantities in the 

 equations by the same fraction; in fact the value of k x is 

 independent of the velocity of a cluster under unit field if it 

 is proportional to the field. The explanation thus appears to 

 be that the velocity of a cluster is not proportional to the 



electric field for the values of — applying to this case. For, 



by giving Vj in the second equation an appropriate value 

 which is larger than the one calculated, &, can be rendered 

 positive. 



The equations obtained from the first and third readings 

 obtained for air with the negative ion are 



1-995 x 10 4 = ^ 2 + h 1-552 x 10 6 , 



and 1-413 x 10 4 = ^ 2 + h 2*132 x 10 6 , 



the velocity of a cluster at standard pressure under an electric 



cm. 

 field of one volt being taken equal to 1*87 — ' , the velocity 



obtained for the negative ion in practice. They show that 



