﻿150 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  alkali, 
  since 
  it 
  favors 
  the 
  decomposition 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  increases 
  

   the 
  amount 
  of 
  chlorate 
  formed. 
  Raising 
  the 
  temperature 
  acts 
  

   similarly. 
  Diminishing 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  current 
  at 
  the 
  kathode 
  

   favors 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  hypochlorite, 
  the 
  effect 
  being 
  greatest 
  

   in 
  a 
  strong 
  solution 
  either 
  neutral 
  or 
  slightly 
  alkaline. 
  At 
  the 
  

   anode, 
  however, 
  such 
  a 
  diminution 
  increases 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  

   decomposed, 
  the 
  effect 
  being 
  less 
  marked 
  in 
  a 
  strongly 
  alkaline 
  

   solution. 
  Since 
  in 
  an 
  alkaline 
  solution 
  the 
  reduction 
  is 
  a 
  mini- 
  

   mum, 
  no 
  diaphragm 
  is 
  necessary.—^ 
  Chem. 
  Soc, 
  lxx, 
  ii, 
  517, 
  

   September, 
  189G. 
  g. 
  f. 
  b. 
  

  

  5. 
  On 
  the 
  Action 
  of 
  Nitrous 
  acid 
  in 
  a 
  Grove 
  cell. 
  — 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  

   observed 
  by 
  Ihle 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  nitric 
  acid 
  in 
  a 
  Grove 
  cell 
  be 
  grad- 
  

   ually 
  diluted 
  with 
  water, 
  the 
  electromotive 
  force 
  remains 
  nearly 
  

   constant 
  until 
  the 
  acid 
  contains 
  38 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  HN0 
  3 
  . 
  On 
  fur- 
  

   ther 
  dilution, 
  the 
  electromotive 
  force 
  falls 
  from 
  1*8 
  to 
  0-7 
  volt, 
  

   having 
  the 
  lower 
  value 
  with 
  28 
  per 
  cent 
  nitric 
  acid. 
  If, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  potassium 
  nitrite 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  28 
  per 
  cent 
  nitric 
  acid, 
  

   the 
  electromotive 
  force 
  rises 
  to 
  1*8 
  volt 
  again, 
  but 
  falls 
  to 
  0*7 
  

   volt 
  when 
  the 
  nitrous 
  acid 
  present 
  is 
  destroyed 
  by 
  potassium 
  per- 
  

   manganate, 
  hydrogen 
  peroxide, 
  carbamide, 
  etc. 
  Conversely 
  the 
  

   electromotive 
  force 
  of 
  an 
  acid 
  stronger 
  than 
  38 
  per 
  cent 
  is 
  low- 
  

   ered 
  by 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  permanganate 
  or 
  of 
  carbamide. 
  It 
  is 
  evi- 
  

   dent, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  nitrous 
  acid 
  is 
  the 
  real 
  depolarization 
  agent 
  

   in 
  a 
  Grove 
  cell. 
  — 
  J. 
  Chem. 
  Soc, 
  lxx, 
  ii, 
  554, 
  October, 
  1896. 
  (See 
  

   the 
  author's 
  paper 
  in 
  Zeitschr. 
  physikal. 
  Chem., 
  xix, 
  577, 
  May, 
  

  

  1896.) 
  G. 
  F. 
  B. 
  

  

  6. 
  On 
  the 
  Spectra 
  of 
  Fused 
  Salts 
  of 
  the 
  Alkali 
  Metals. 
  — 
  Because 
  

   of 
  the 
  comparative 
  simplicity 
  of 
  the 
  spectra 
  of 
  the 
  alkali 
  metals, 
  

   DeGramont 
  finds 
  the 
  salts 
  of 
  these 
  metals 
  to 
  offer 
  special 
  advan- 
  

   tages 
  for 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  spectra 
  of 
  the 
  non-metals 
  by 
  the 
  

   action 
  of 
  a 
  highly 
  condensed 
  spark 
  on 
  the 
  fused 
  salt. 
  The 
  spec- 
  

   trum 
  thus 
  obtained 
  differs 
  considerably 
  from 
  that 
  obtained 
  with 
  

   the 
  metal 
  itself 
  or 
  that 
  given 
  with 
  the 
  fused 
  salt 
  and 
  a 
  non-con- 
  

   densed 
  spark. 
  Chlorides, 
  bromides 
  and 
  iodides 
  decompose 
  readily 
  

   under 
  these 
  conditions; 
  while 
  fluorides 
  show 
  but 
  little 
  tendency 
  

   to 
  dissociate, 
  and 
  carbonates, 
  though 
  dissociated 
  with 
  difficulty, 
  

   give 
  the 
  spectra 
  of 
  the 
  metals 
  in 
  their 
  simplest 
  form, 
  no 
  lines 
  of 
  

   carbon 
  being 
  observed. 
  Salts 
  of 
  sodium 
  show 
  three 
  intense 
  

   double 
  lines 
  6160-6154, 
  5895-5889, 
  5867-5862, 
  the 
  other 
  lines 
  being 
  

   weak, 
  though 
  5675, 
  5669, 
  5155, 
  5152, 
  and 
  a 
  broad 
  nebulous 
  band 
  

   4983-4978, 
  are 
  discernable. 
  Salts 
  of 
  potassium 
  show 
  7698, 
  7665, 
  

   6939, 
  6911,6308,6245-5, 
  6117'5, 
  5832, 
  5811, 
  5801,5783,5360,5344, 
  

   5340, 
  5323, 
  5113, 
  5099, 
  4828, 
  4389, 
  4309, 
  4264, 
  4223, 
  4185 
  and 
  

   4045. 
  Lithium 
  salts 
  give 
  6706, 
  6103, 
  4972, 
  4603,4273, 
  4132; 
  

   the 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  lines 
  making 
  the 
  salts 
  of 
  this 
  metal 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  well 
  suited 
  for 
  studying 
  the 
  spectra 
  of 
  the 
  non-metals. 
  

   When 
  fused 
  phosphates 
  are 
  subjected 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  con- 
  

   densed 
  spark 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  a 
  line 
  spectrum 
  of 
  phosphorus 
  is 
  

   obtained 
  superior 
  to 
  that 
  seen 
  in 
  a 
  Plticker 
  tube. 
  Using 
  the 
  

   potassium 
  or 
  sodium 
  salt, 
  the 
  following 
  lines 
  appear: 
  6506 
  (dif- 
  

  

  