Rate of Explosion in Gases. 



101 



of steam rises more rapidly with the temperature than the spe- 

 cific heat of the diatomic gas. The theory of dissociation is 

 rendered improbable by the fact that dilution of electrolytic 

 gas with oxygen lowers the rates a little more than dilution 

 with an equal volume of nitrogen. The adoption of such an 

 hypothesis would render it necessary for us to suppose that the 

 chemical reaction does not proceed to its limit. Moreover, it 

 would make it difficult to calculate the rates whenever steam 

 is formed, for it would then be impossible, with our present 

 knowledge, to say how far the chemical reaction would pro- 

 ceed in any particular case. We are therefore encouraged to 

 test the first theory, i. e. that the specific heat of steam rises 

 more rapidly with the temperature than that of the diatomic 

 gases. The specific heat of steam at different temperatures 

 has therefore been calculated from a few selected rates, as in 

 the case of the elementary gases; and the values thus found 

 are used to calculate the other rates. The results are given 

 below. (Table II.) 



Table II. — Specific Heats at Different Temperatures. 

 w = specific heat of water, g = specific heat of diatomic gases. 



t. 



5600. 



5500. 



5400. 



5300. 



5200. 



5100. 



5000. 



4900. 



4800. 



w 



9 



7-850 



7-839 



7-828 



7-817 



7-806 



7-795 



7-784 



7-773 



7-762 



t. 



w 



9 



4700. 



4600. 

 7-740 



4500. 



4400. 



4300. 



4200. 



4100. 



4000. 



3900. 



7-751 



7*729 



7-718 



14-750 

 7-707 



14-625 

 7-696 



14-467 



7-685 



14-297 

 7-674 



14-125 

 7-663 



t. 



3800. 



3700. 



3600. 



3500. 



3400. 



3300. 



3200. 



3100. 



3000. 



w 



9 



13-938 

 7-652 



13-750 



7-641 



13-547 

 7-630 



13344 

 7619 



13-102 



7-608 



12-850 

 7-597 



12-560 



7-586 



12-250 



7-575 



11-891 

 7-564 



t. 



w 



9 



2900. 



11-503 

 7-553 



2800. 



2700. 



2600. 



2500. 



2400. 



2300. 



2200. 



2100. 



11-040 

 7-542 



10-578 

 7531 



10-172 

 7-520 



9-797 



7-509 



9-484 



7-498 



9203 



7-487 



9-000 

 7-476 



8-828 

 7*466 



