Chemistry and Physics. 255 



fication is due to an increase in the number of water pai*ticles in 

 the jet, by the electrification presenting the small drops coming 

 in contact by their mutual repulsions, in the same manner as the 

 water drops in Lord Rayleigh's experiments with water jets, 

 which scatter more when electrified than when not electrified. 

 The coalescence of the drops in water jets takes place only 

 under the disturbance produced by the presence of an electrified 

 body, while such a disturbance produces no effect on steam jets. 

 The action of electricity does not seem to be positive, as it has no 

 effect on a mixture of hot moist air and cold air. It seems rather 

 to prevent something which takes place in the jet under ordinary 

 conditions. The jet on becoming dense emits a peculiar sound 

 which is the same whatever be the cause of the increased density. 

 But when electrified, along with this sound there is another, due to 

 the discharge of the electricity, which causes the electrified jet to 

 appear to. make a louder noise. — Royal Society, April 28, 1892; 

 Nature, May 26, 1 892. J. t. ' 



12. The thermal variation of viscosity and of electrolytic re- 

 sistance / by Carl Bartjs. — Experiments made on the effect of 

 temperature (0) on the viscosity (?/) of a very viscous substance 

 like marine glue showed that log rf Pi q = log rf pa — J3 6 very fully 

 reproduced the results. The subscripts give the quantities con- 

 stant and variable ; p denotes pressure , and B is constant. For 

 napierian logarithms, absolute measure, ° C, and marine glue, 

 ?/ 00 = 10 12 and i?:=: - 379. In other words the rate at which vis- 

 cosity decreases with temperature at 0° , is proportional to the 

 viscosity at 6°. 



Experiments made on the effect of temperature on the electro- 

 lytic resistance, r, of a silicate (diabase) within 1500° C, showed 

 that log (a + br) = log (a + br ) -bd, very fully reproduced the 

 results. Here a and b are constant and a merely reflects the 

 observational errors. For diabase, megohms and °C, a = '05, 

 b = -009, r =318X10 6 , napierian logarithms being taken. If a 

 be eliminated, b ='010. In any case, however, the rate at which 

 electrolytic resistance decreases with temperature, at the tem- 

 perature 6°, is proportional to the resistance at 6°. Hence viscosity 

 and electrolytic resistance conform with the same law, and I infer 

 that a common kinetic principle underlies both. This may be 

 stated thus : The rate at which either configurational or molecular 

 instability increases at the temperature 8, is proportional to the 

 instabilities present in the given volume at that temperature — 

 supposing that the number of unstable configurations, or of un- 

 stable molecules, respectively, is at all times small relative to the 

 total number of configurations or molecules. (Of. this Journal, 

 xlii, p. 135, § 12, ]892.) The thermoelectric equivalent, d e = 

 A e d 6,1 will soon develop. — Communicated by the Author. 



13. Outlines of Theoretical Chemistry, by Lothar Meter, 

 translated by P. Phillips Bedson and W. Carleton Williams. 

 With a preface by the author. 220 pp. 8vo. London and New 

 York (Longmans, Green & Co.). — The name of the author and 



