Rate of Solution of Nitrogen and Oxygen by Water. 87 



may assume. The red colour, then, should appear when 

 the electric rays were moving in such a way that most 

 of them were completely absorbed, and the greenish-yellow 

 should appear when the greater part of the rays were turned 

 back to space with a fairly large velocity. This view also 

 explains the fact that a drapery often has red streamers- 

 mixed in between the ordinary greenish-yellow ones. This 

 would only mean that in the red streamers a relatively 

 greater number of the rays is completely absorbed, or on an 

 average has suffered a greater loss of kinetic energy. 



Y. The Determination of the Rate of Solution of Atmo- 

 splieric Nitrogen and Oxygen by Water. By W. E. 

 Adeney, D.Sc, A.R.C.Sc.I., F.I.C., Acting Professor of 

 Chemistry, and H. Gr. Becker, A.R.C.Sc.I., A.I.C., 

 Demonstrator in Chemistry, Royal College of Science for 

 Ireland *, 



Part III. — The Rate of Solution of Air by Quiescent Waters 

 under laboratory Conditions. 



IN previously published parts of this communication the 

 rate of solution of gases by water, when thin films of 

 the water are exposed to the gas or gases, and kept uniformly 

 and rapidly mixed with the unexposed portions of it, has 

 been dealt with, and shown to take place in accordance with 

 a simple law. 



With a view to deriving, if possible, a formula for the 

 rate of solution of air by quiescent bodies of water, the 

 results thus obtained have been applied to the elucidation of 

 a number of experiments which had been previously made 

 with small volumes of still water, and the results are given 

 in this communication. 



When the process of solution of air by water is considered, 

 it is evident that it may take place in one of three ways — 

 (1) Solution at the surface exposed to the air with thorough 

 and rapid mixing with the unexposed portions; (2) solution 

 at the surface with no mixing ; (3) solution at the surface 

 with slow or imperfect mixing. 



The conditions stated under section (1) are practically 

 those obtaining in the experiments already described, and 



* From the Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society for 



September 1920. Communicated by the Authors. 



