﻿Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  383 
  

  

  salts 
  described. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  volatile 
  and 
  explodes 
  readily 
  with 
  

   great 
  violence. 
  But 
  notwithstanding 
  this 
  the 
  authors 
  succeeded 
  

   in 
  determining 
  its 
  vapor 
  density. 
  The 
  other 
  salts 
  arrange 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  solubilities 
  between 
  the 
  chloride 
  and 
  the 
  

   bromide. 
  In 
  aqueous 
  solution 
  they 
  behave 
  as 
  would 
  be 
  expected 
  

   from 
  the 
  feebleness 
  of 
  the 
  free 
  acid. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  weaker 
  bases, 
  

   particularly 
  alumina 
  and 
  iron 
  oxide, 
  strong 
  hydrolysis 
  takes 
  place; 
  

   so 
  that 
  in 
  experiments 
  made 
  to 
  form 
  aluminum 
  salts 
  by 
  double 
  

   decomposition, 
  alumina 
  is 
  precipitated. 
  The 
  non-dissociated 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  iron 
  salts 
  is 
  colored 
  deep 
  red, 
  like 
  the 
  acetates 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  

   substance 
  is 
  rapidly 
  decomposed 
  with 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  iron 
  

   oxide.— 
  J. 
  pr. 
  Ch., 
  Iviii, 
  216-309, 
  1898; 
  Zeitschr. 
  Phys. 
  Chem.., 
  

   xxix, 
  174, 
  May, 
  1899. 
  g. 
  f. 
  b. 
  

  

  3. 
  On 
  Argon 
  and 
  its 
  Combinations. 
  — 
  The 
  earlier 
  investigations 
  

   of 
  Berthelot 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  causing 
  argon 
  to 
  

   enter 
  into 
  combination 
  with 
  other 
  bodies, 
  have 
  now 
  been 
  repeated 
  

   under 
  improved 
  conditions. 
  The 
  argon 
  was 
  obtained 
  from 
  Ram- 
  

   say, 
  and 
  after 
  purification 
  amounted 
  to 
  455°°. 
  As 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  

   experiments 
  the 
  argon, 
  mixed 
  with 
  the 
  substance 
  to 
  be 
  acted 
  

   upon, 
  in 
  either 
  the 
  gaseous, 
  the 
  liquid 
  or 
  the 
  solid 
  state, 
  was 
  

   placed 
  in 
  a 
  silent 
  discharge 
  tube 
  and 
  submitted 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  

   the 
  electric 
  spark 
  from 
  an 
  induction 
  coil 
  giving 
  discharges 
  of 
  6 
  or 
  

   gmm^ 
  Only 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  10°° 
  of 
  argon 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  each 
  experiment^ 
  

   the 
  substance 
  added 
  being 
  gaseous, 
  liquid 
  or 
  solid 
  at 
  pleasure. 
  

   The 
  first 
  experiments 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  bodies 
  of 
  the 
  fatty 
  series, 
  

   such 
  as 
  ethylene, 
  aldehyde, 
  acetone, 
  petroleum 
  ether, 
  propioni- 
  

   trile 
  and 
  amylamine. 
  No 
  absorption 
  of 
  argon 
  was 
  observable. 
  In 
  

   the 
  second 
  set 
  of 
  experiments, 
  bodies 
  of 
  the 
  benzene 
  series 
  were 
  

   tested, 
  such 
  as 
  benzene, 
  toluene, 
  phenol, 
  aniline 
  and 
  benzonitrile. 
  

   A 
  characteristic 
  absorption 
  of 
  argon 
  was 
  observed, 
  accompanied 
  

   with 
  a 
  greenish 
  luminescence 
  visible 
  in 
  full 
  daylight, 
  and 
  giving 
  

   in 
  its 
  spectrum 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  argon, 
  of 
  mercury, 
  of 
  carbon 
  and 
  of 
  

   hydrogen 
  ; 
  it 
  being 
  especially 
  bright 
  with 
  benzene, 
  toluene, 
  ben- 
  

   zonitrile 
  and 
  anisol. 
  The 
  author 
  regards 
  this 
  result 
  as 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  substance 
  phenylmercurargon, 
  having 
  only 
  

   a 
  very 
  small 
  vapor 
  pressure. 
  The 
  action 
  is 
  in 
  marked 
  contrast 
  

   with 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  fatty 
  series. 
  In 
  a 
  third 
  set 
  of 
  experiments, 
  

   cyclic 
  compounds 
  such 
  as 
  furfurol, 
  thiophene, 
  pyrrol 
  and 
  pyridine, 
  

   were 
  employed. 
  The 
  absorption 
  of 
  argon 
  was 
  much 
  less, 
  in 
  some 
  

   cases 
  not 
  even 
  perceptible, 
  and 
  the 
  light 
  was 
  feeble. 
  Special 
  

   experiments 
  were 
  then 
  made 
  with 
  benzene 
  and 
  with 
  carbon 
  disul- 
  

   phide. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  benzene, 
  the 
  absorption 
  of 
  argon 
  varied 
  

   from 
  3 
  per 
  cent, 
  to 
  14 
  per 
  cent, 
  depending 
  upon 
  the 
  relative 
  

   amount 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  substances 
  present 
  and 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  exposure, 
  

   the 
  last 
  result 
  being 
  obtained 
  with 
  equal 
  volumes 
  of 
  argon 
  and 
  

   liquid 
  benzene, 
  the 
  latter 
  therefore 
  in 
  large 
  excess. 
  Benzene 
  was 
  

   found 
  to 
  dissolve 
  18 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  its 
  volume 
  of 
  argon, 
  carbon 
  

   disulphide 
  6 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  compound 
  formed 
  by 
  argon 
  with 
  

   carbon 
  disulphide 
  is 
  reddish 
  in 
  color 
  and 
  is 
  solid. 
  The 
  absorp- 
  

   tion 
  varied 
  from 
  6 
  per 
  cent, 
  after 
  six 
  hours, 
  to 
  7 
  after 
  twenty 
  

  

  Am. 
  Joue. 
  Sci. 
  — 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  YIII, 
  No. 
  47.— 
  November, 
  1899. 
  

   26 
  

  

  