﻿8 Mr. W. Sutherland on the Molecular 



Table II. 



Li. Na. K. NH 4 . Mg. Ca. Sr. Ba. Zn. Cd. Pb. Ag. 

 X 35-5 44-4 65-3 64-2 48 53 54 573 47'5 (52'5 (57) 557 



K 6-27 324 1'62 1-67 658 516 472 383 536 460 459 266 



10 3 r/(XKBt)i ...215 240 229 143 238 224 229 216 229 201 204 220 



CI. Br. I. N0 3 . S0 4 . C0 3 . OH 3 COOH. 

 X 65-9 67-5 66-7 608 697 (81) 354 



K 1-59 T40 1-27 1-47 2-48 233 228 



10 3 r/(XKBt)i 51 £50 49 43 22 6 50 



For the positive ions the values of t/(\KB 3 )3 are nearly 

 constant except in the case of NH 4 , the mean value being 

 0*222. For the negative ions, except the divalent S0 4 

 and C0 3 , t/(XKB f )2 i s nearly constant, say 0'05. 



This sketch of the theory of the dissociation of (HgO'/g in 

 solution does not show why there should be a specific differ- 

 ence in the action of the two sorts of electricity ; this difference 

 having been assumed as a matter of fact established by 

 Table I. In electrical theory as hitherto developed there is 

 no reason why one sort of electricity should have a different 

 effect from the other. It seems as though positive and negative 

 electricity on the molecular scale have different energy rela- 

 tions to dielectric capacity in the surrounding medium. 

 Concerning frictional electricity, we have the valuable gene- 

 ralization discovered by A. Coehn (Wied. Ann. lxiv.), that if 

 two insulators are rubbed together, the one with the larger 

 dielectric capacity is positively charged. Here, then, we 

 have direct experimental evidence of the difference of relation 

 of the two kinds of electricity to dielectric capacity ; and the 

 similar case just made out for atomic electric charges confirms 

 it in a way which shows that this difference is fundamental in 

 the relation of electricity to matter and needs to be fully 

 investigated. 



Probably the effect of ions in dissociating and associating 

 (H 2 0) 3 and (H 2 0) 2 is a simple typical instance of their action 

 in coagulating and dissolving colloids and in stimulating and 

 depressing muscle and nerve. 



3. Special Case of Acids and Alkalies. 



The H and OH ions of acids and alkalies occupy a special 

 position on account of the high ionic velocities usually 

 ascribed to them, namely 318 for H and 174 for OH, while 

 SO4 comes next with only 69 7 and Cs with 67*8. Moreover 

 H and OH are quite exceptional in regard to the relation 



