﻿412 
  K 
  A. 
  Bill— 
  Argon, 
  Proufs 
  

  

  vaporize 
  it. 
  .Now 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  combination 
  is 
  closely 
  related 
  to 
  

   the 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  forces 
  binding 
  H 
  2 
  to 
  O 
  and 
  H 
  to 
  H 
  

   and 
  O 
  to 
  O, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  combination 
  is 
  large, 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ence 
  between 
  these 
  forces 
  must 
  be 
  large, 
  as 
  also 
  the 
  forces 
  

   themselves, 
  compared 
  with 
  both 
  gravitation 
  and 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  

   elasticity 
  or 
  repulsion, 
  for 
  the 
  latter 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  

   order 
  (at 
  the 
  least 
  distance 
  of 
  molecular 
  approach) 
  as 
  kinetic 
  

   energy 
  of 
  translation. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  energy 
  of 
  the 
  motion 
  

   of 
  translation 
  of 
  the 
  O 
  and 
  II 
  molecules 
  before 
  combination 
  is, 
  

   as 
  shown 
  by 
  Thomson, 
  only 
  about 
  T 
  Vth 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  total 
  store, 
  

   the 
  great 
  bulk 
  of 
  which 
  must 
  be 
  potential, 
  shows 
  how 
  great 
  

   must 
  be 
  the 
  forces 
  binding 
  the 
  atoms 
  together 
  (upon 
  whose 
  

   differences 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  formation 
  depends), 
  not 
  

   only 
  compared 
  to 
  gravitation 
  but 
  also 
  to 
  all 
  other 
  forces 
  acting 
  

   within 
  the 
  molecule."* 
  The 
  modern 
  theory 
  of 
  electrolysis 
  and 
  

   salt 
  solution 
  postulates 
  enormous 
  electrical 
  charges 
  on 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   sociated 
  ions, 
  which 
  fully 
  accords 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  herein 
  expressed 
  

   that 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  atomic 
  aggregation 
  is 
  large 
  compared 
  to 
  other 
  

   forces. 
  The 
  intimate 
  connection 
  existing 
  between 
  valency, 
  

   electrical 
  character, 
  chemical 
  affinity 
  and 
  the 
  electrons 
  or 
  

   charges 
  on 
  the 
  ions 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  noted. 
  The 
  magnitude 
  of 
  

   these 
  charges 
  appeals 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  order 
  as 
  the 
  potential 
  

   energy 
  of 
  chemical 
  affinity, 
  and 
  as 
  indicated 
  by 
  Ostwald, 
  when 
  

   valency 
  is 
  understood, 
  so 
  also 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  all 
  these 
  other 
  

   and 
  closely 
  related 
  subjects. 
  

  

  Nature, 
  in 
  the 
  edition 
  of 
  Feb. 
  7th, 
  makes 
  an 
  apparently 
  

   strong 
  point 
  for 
  monatomicity 
  when 
  it 
  states 
  "that 
  no 
  diatomic 
  

   gas 
  has 
  a 
  specific 
  heat 
  ratio 
  greater 
  than 
  about 
  142, 
  and 
  to 
  

   place 
  among 
  them 
  a 
  substance 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  ratio 
  is 
  1*66 
  would 
  

   be 
  entirely 
  opposed 
  to 
  all 
  other 
  indications 
  of 
  a 
  theory, 
  which 
  

   though 
  admittedly 
  only 
  approximate, 
  nevertheless 
  in 
  all 
  other 
  

   cases 
  accords 
  fairly 
  well 
  with 
  the 
  conceptions 
  of 
  the 
  chemist." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  notwithstanding 
  a 
  reasonable 
  view, 
  that 
  when 
  internal, 
  

   vibrations 
  are 
  small 
  (disregarding 
  the 
  higher 
  order 
  of 
  vibra- 
  

   tions 
  which 
  produce 
  the 
  lines 
  in 
  the 
  spectrum) 
  the 
  tendency 
  to 
  

   split 
  up 
  into 
  free 
  ions 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  small. 
  Chemical 
  inertness 
  

   goes 
  naturally 
  with 
  the 
  minimum 
  of 
  internal 
  energy 
  and 
  atomic 
  

   volume 
  ; 
  and 
  with 
  practically 
  no 
  internal 
  energy 
  in 
  Argon 
  we 
  

   ought 
  to 
  find 
  it, 
  just 
  as 
  we 
  do, 
  chemically 
  very 
  inert, 
  so 
  there 
  

   are 
  two 
  horns 
  to 
  the 
  dilemma. 
  True 
  if 
  diatomic, 
  Argon 
  is 
  the 
  

   only 
  diatomic 
  gas 
  known 
  having 
  so 
  high 
  a 
  ratio 
  for 
  the 
  two 
  

   specific 
  heats, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  if 
  monatomic 
  then 
  its 
  

  

  * 
  Mendeleeff 
  remarks 
  that 
  1 
  gram 
  of 
  H 
  cooled 
  to 
  tlie 
  absolute 
  zero 
  of 
  tempera- 
  

   ture 
  would 
  evolve 
  about 
  1000 
  units 
  of 
  heat 
  and 
  8 
  grams 
  of 
  half 
  this 
  amount, 
  

   while 
  in 
  combining 
  together 
  they 
  evolve 
  more 
  than 
  thirty 
  times 
  that 
  quantity, 
  

   and 
  hence 
  the 
  store 
  of 
  chemical 
  energy 
  must 
  be 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  physical 
  

   store 
  proper 
  to 
  the 
  molecule. 
  

  

  