﻿Rayleigh 
  and 
  Ramsay 
  — 
  Argon, 
  etc. 
  275 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  facts 
  taken 
  together, 
  therefore, 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  

   hypothesis 
  of 
  an 
  ice 
  dam 
  at 
  Quebec 
  holding 
  in 
  a 
  lake 
  in 
  the 
  

   St. 
  Lawrence 
  valley 
  between 
  that 
  point 
  and 
  Lake 
  Ontario, 
  as 
  

   set 
  forth 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Upham, 
  is 
  untenable. 
  

  

  The 
  glaciation 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  valley 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  

   complex, 
  and 
  cannot 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  d 
  priori 
  theories. 
  The 
  

   problems 
  it 
  presents 
  must 
  be 
  solved 
  by 
  actual 
  field 
  investiga- 
  

   tions. 
  The 
  region 
  is 
  a 
  most 
  interesting 
  one, 
  however, 
  and 
  I 
  

   invite 
  glacialists 
  to 
  come 
  and 
  see 
  the 
  facts 
  for 
  themselves 
  

   before 
  propounding 
  any 
  grand 
  generalizations 
  respecting 
  its 
  

   Pleistocene 
  geology. 
  

  

  Ottawa, 
  Jan. 
  16, 
  1895. 
  

  

  Art. 
  XXIY. 
  — 
  Argon, 
  a 
  New 
  Constituent 
  of 
  the 
  Atmosphere 
  / 
  

   by 
  Loed 
  Eayleigh 
  and 
  Professor 
  William 
  Ramsay. 
  

  

  [Abstract 
  of 
  a 
  paper 
  read 
  before 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society; 
  from 
  advance 
  sheets 
  sent 
  

   to 
  this 
  Journal 
  by 
  the 
  authors.] 
  

  

  I. 
  Density 
  of 
  Nitrogen 
  from 
  Various 
  Sources. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  former 
  paper* 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  that 
  nitrogen 
  extracted 
  

   from 
  chemical 
  compounds 
  is 
  about 
  J 
  per 
  cent 
  lighter 
  than 
  

   " 
  atmospheric 
  nitrogen." 
  

  

  The 
  mean 
  numbers 
  for 
  the 
  weights 
  of 
  gas 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  

   globe 
  used 
  were 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  From 
  nitric 
  oxide 
  2*3001 
  

  

  From 
  nitrous 
  oxide 
  2*2990 
  

  

  From 
  ammonium 
  nitrite 
  2*2987 
  

  

  while 
  for 
  u 
  atmospheric 
  nitrogen 
  " 
  there 
  was 
  found 
  — 
  

  

  By 
  hot 
  copper, 
  1892 
  2*3103 
  

  

  By 
  hot 
  iron, 
  1893 
  2*3100 
  

  

  By 
  ferrous 
  hydrate, 
  1894 
  2*3102 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  suggestion 
  of 
  Professer 
  Thorpe 
  experiments 
  were 
  

   subsequently 
  tried 
  with 
  nitrogen 
  liberated 
  from 
  urea 
  by 
  the 
  

   action 
  of 
  sodium 
  hypobromite. 
  The 
  hypobromite 
  was 
  pre- 
  

   pared 
  from 
  commercial 
  materials 
  in 
  the 
  proportions 
  recom- 
  

   mended 
  for 
  the 
  analysis 
  of 
  urea. 
  The 
  reaction 
  was 
  well 
  under 
  

   control, 
  and 
  the 
  gas 
  could 
  be 
  liberated 
  as 
  slowly 
  as 
  desired. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  first 
  experiment 
  the 
  gas 
  Vas 
  submitted 
  to 
  no 
  other 
  

   treatment 
  than 
  slow 
  passage 
  through 
  potash 
  and 
  phosphoric 
  

   anhydride, 
  but 
  it 
  soon 
  became 
  apparent 
  that 
  the 
  nitrogen 
  was 
  

  

  * 
  Rayleigh, 
  On 
  an 
  Anomaly 
  encountered 
  in 
  Determinations 
  of 
  the 
  Density 
  of 
  

   Nitrogen 
  Gas, 
  Proc. 
  Roy. 
  Soc, 
  vol. 
  lv, 
  p. 
  340, 
  1894. 
  

  

  