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XXIII. On the Freezing-points of Dilute Solutions. 

 By W. Nernst and R. Abegg*. 



rf 1HE lowering of the freezing-point of dilute solutions has 

 JL been recently carefully investigated by two observers, 

 Mr. Jones t and Mr. LoomisJ, but they have found very 

 different values for the lowering in the case of non-electrolytes. 



No reader of the two researches could fail to see that 

 Mr. Loomis had worked with great care, and that Mr. Jones, 

 on the other hand, had neglected some very obvious pre- 

 cautions. 



Indeed we found that a very dangerous source of error, 

 viz. the influence of the external temperature, which Loomis 

 approximately avoided, made Mr. Jones's results in the case 

 of non-electrolytes entirely worthless. At the same time we 

 showed how the influence of the external temperature is to be 

 computed, since we developed a mathematical-physical theory 

 for its effect upon the freezing-point. 



To our surprise Mr. Jones sought to defend his results 

 by attacking our research in a most condemnatory manner. 

 How far he is justified in this can be seen from the following 

 brief observations. 



Mr. Jones had nothing to say against the above-mentioned 

 theory, except (page 386 of this Journal, 5th series, vol. xl.) 

 that "the introduction of a correction-term when amounting 

 to more than 20 per cent, would not tend to increase our 

 confidence in the final results."" Ought such an argument 

 to be taken seriously when a very elementary acquaintance 

 with physical measurements shows that exact determinations 

 can be made in spite of large correction-terms, provided these 

 are correctly computed. So long as Mr. Jones has not 

 proved any error here he must discard his own results. In 

 reference to the same point Mr. Jones remarks, " Their 

 correction-term appears to me to involve the assump- 

 tion that K for solutions is the same as for water, which 

 assumption is gratuitous and unallowable" [p. 385]. Evi- 

 dently Mr. Jones has not correctly understood our theory. 

 We have in no way assumed that K, the rate of dissolving 

 (Losungsgesch'windigkeit) solid substances in solutions and in 

 water is the same ; but, on the other hand, we have em- 

 phasized the fact of the great difference in the values for 

 water and solutions, and we have computed them. 



* Communicated by the Authors. 



t Zeitschr. f. physikal. Chemie, xi. p. 529; and xii. p. 623. 



X Wiedemann's Annalen, li. p. 500. 



