﻿Mixter 
  — 
  Products 
  of 
  the 
  Explosion 
  of 
  Acetylene. 
  

  

  20 
  mm 
  in 
  

   ends 
  of 
  

   of 
  the 
  | 
  

   of 
  the 
  

   taken. 
  

  

  No. 
  of 
  

   Exp. 
  

  

  19 
  

   20 
  

   21 
  

   22 
  

   23 
  

   24 
  

   25 
  

   26 
  

   27 
  

   28 
  

  

  diameter. 
  It 
  differed 
  from 
  the 
  others 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  

   the 
  electrodes 
  almost 
  touching 
  the 
  upper 
  inner 
  surface 
  

   *lass. 
  The 
  experiments 
  were 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  temperature 
  

   room. 
  The 
  results 
  are 
  in 
  volumes 
  per 
  hundred 
  of 
  gas 
  

  

  Diam. 
  

   U-tube. 
  

  

  1 
  *7mm 
  

  

  10 
  mm 
  

   10 
  mm 
  

  

  i 
  i 
  mm 
  

  

  l7 
  mm 
  

   i 
  1 
  mm 
  

  

  i 
  ijmm 
  

  

  10 
  mm 
  

  

  onmm 
  

   2(,mm 
  

  

  Pressure. 
  

  

  6 
  atmos. 
  

  

  :c 
  

  

  a 
  

   a 
  

   u 
  

   a 
  

   a 
  

   u 
  

   u 
  

  

  Acetylene 
  

   decomposed. 
  

  

  47-2 
  

  

  50- 
  

  

  79- 
  

  

  74- 
  

  

  60- 
  

   40- 
  

  

  76-2 
  

   74-3 
  

  

  Acetylene 
  

   condensed. 
  

  

  6*2 
  

  

  10- 
  

   5* 
  

  

  13- 
  

   5-8 
  

  

  ID- 
  

   S' 
  

  

  19- 
  

   19-2 
  

  

  Acetylene 
  

   in 
  residual 
  

  

  46'6 
  

   40- 
  

   16- 
  

   13* 
  

  

  30- 
  

   55- 
  

   6.25 
  

  

  4-8 
  

   6-5 
  

  

  In 
  19, 
  21, 
  22 
  and 
  23 
  the 
  explosion 
  was 
  prompt 
  and 
  violent, 
  

   while 
  in 
  24 
  and 
  25 
  it 
  was 
  slow. 
  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  explos- 
  

   ion 
  in 
  No. 
  20 
  was 
  not 
  noted. 
  The 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  exploding 
  

   gas 
  in 
  No. 
  23 
  increased 
  three-fold. 
  Fearing 
  an 
  accident, 
  I 
  un- 
  

   fortunately 
  did 
  not 
  view 
  Nos. 
  27 
  and 
  28, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  decomposi- 
  

   tion 
  was 
  not 
  of 
  an 
  explosive 
  character, 
  for 
  in 
  27 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  

   the 
  gas 
  was 
  increased 
  only 
  1/5 
  by 
  the 
  heat. 
  Moreover, 
  in 
  

   these 
  cases 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  dull 
  thump, 
  as 
  there 
  was 
  when 
  the 
  gas 
  

   was 
  exploded 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  eudiometers. 
  In 
  both 
  27 
  and 
  28, 
  

   where 
  the 
  gas 
  was 
  subjected 
  to 
  sparks 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  glass 
  

   in 
  the 
  upper 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  eudiometer, 
  the 
  carbon 
  was 
  deposited 
  on 
  

   the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  tube 
  in 
  brilliant 
  black 
  rings 
  shading 
  into 
  dull 
  

   black, 
  showing 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  peculiar 
  wave 
  motion 
  in 
  the 
  

   decomposition. 
  These 
  rings 
  were 
  about 
  2 
  cm 
  from 
  center 
  to 
  

   center, 
  or 
  about 
  the 
  diameter 
  of 
  the 
  tube. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  commonly 
  been 
  considered 
  that 
  acetylene, 
  when 
  

   exploded, 
  separates 
  completely 
  into 
  carbon 
  and 
  hydrogen. 
  

   Berthellot 
  and 
  Yieille* 
  state 
  in 
  substance 
  that 
  when 
  exploded 
  

   under 
  pressure 
  it 
  is 
  decomposed 
  into 
  carbon 
  and 
  hydrogen 
  gas 
  

   having 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  acetylene 
  taken, 
  and 
  Berthellot 
  and 
  

   Chatelier,f 
  in 
  their 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  velocity 
  of 
  explosion 
  of 
  

   acetylene, 
  discuss 
  the 
  phenomenon 
  on 
  the 
  assumption 
  that 
  the 
  

   products 
  of 
  the 
  explosion 
  are 
  solid 
  carbon 
  and 
  gaseous 
  hydrogen. 
  

   Doubtless 
  these 
  constituted 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  product 
  at 
  the 
  high 
  

   pressures, 
  5 
  to 
  30 
  atmospheres, 
  they 
  used. 
  My 
  experiments 
  thus 
  

   far 
  given 
  show 
  conclusively 
  that 
  acetylene 
  is 
  not 
  completely 
  

   decomposed 
  when 
  exploded 
  at 
  3 
  atmospheres 
  in 
  glass 
  tubes 
  20 
  mm 
  

   in 
  diameter 
  or 
  narrower. 
  Experiments 
  were 
  next 
  conducted 
  in 
  a 
  

  

  * 
  Comptes 
  Rendus, 
  cxxiii, 
  523. 
  

  

  f 
  Comptes 
  Rendus, 
  cxxix, 
  42*7. 
  

  

  