442  Mr.  E.  F.  Burton  on  the  Properties  of 
Table  VI.— Ethyl  Alcohol. 
Used  m  Preparation.                  flfl                     f  Velocity  m 
Metal.      Conductivity  Charge  on  ems"  P"  sec' 
of  Solution:  Particles.  Per  Tolt  Per 
\  oltawe.        C  urrent.  cm. 
Lead   30  volts. 
Tin 
Zinc    
6'5  ai 
2-3xl0~6 
2-9xl0~6 
17  XlO"6 
+ 
4-5  xlO"5 
3-6xl0~5 
2-8  XlO"5 
Viewing  these  results  in  the  light  of  the  chemical  nature 
of  the  alcohols,  the  former  suggestion  as  to  the  interaction 
between  the  liquid  medium  and  the  metals  is  strengthened. 
Although  these  alcohols  have  a  neutral  reaction,  they  act 
like  weak  bases  in  combining  with  acids  to  form  salts,  or,  in 
other  words,  they  have  an  easily  replaceable  OH~  group. 
Those  easily  oxidizable  metals  would  thus  be  able  to  form  at 
least  a  surface  coat  of  hydrate,  while  the  metals  gold, 
platinum,  silver,  whose  existence  in  a  colloidal  state  we  have 
been  led  to  suspect  to  depend  on  a  replaceable  hydrogen  in 
the  liquid,  cannot  form  in  the  alcohols. 
A  still  further  test  of  this  hypothesis  is  afforded  when  one 
uses  as  the  liquid  medium  a  substance  which  has  a  replaceable 
H  and  not  an  OH.  Anhydrous  acids  might  be  used,  but  there 
is  great  difficulty  in  keeping  them  free  from  water ;  and,  as  is 
well  known,  electrolytes  containing  acids  have  extremely 
strong  power  of  coagulating  solutions.  Ethyl  malonate  is  a 
liquid  which  fulfils  the  condition  of  having  a  replaceable  H  ; 
the  samples  used  in  the  present  experiment  were  pure  from 
Kahlbaum.     When  platinum,  gold,  and  silver  were  sparked 
Table  VII.— Ethyl  Malonate. 
Metal. 
Used  in  Preparation. 
Voltage.       Current. 
Specific 
Conductivity 
of  Solution. 
Sign  of         ^locity  in 
Charge  on  "  <™>.  per.  sec. 
Particles.  !  Per  volt  Per 
cm. 
Platinum.    40  volts.        7-5  amp.  i     -lxlO-6 
i 
Silver :    60      „                 .,               ^xlO"6 
Gold  !    60      „                .,              -lxlO-6 
1 
2-3xl0~5 
1-7  Xl0~5 
I    1-4  Xl0~5 
