880 C. .1. Peters — l\I<<f ml ysis of Sodium CIilovi<l< 



no mercury cathode. G-oldbanm and Smith* verify this 

 observation. The writer was unable to find hypochlorites at 

 any time when the mercury cathode was used. What the 

 function of the mercury is in decomposing or preventing the 

 formation of the hypochlorites lias not been explained, although 

 it is well known that metallic mercury and sodium hypochlorite 

 react to form mercury oxide and sodium chloride, both of 

 which products one would expect to be decomposed in the 

 electrolytic cell. 



Transfer of Silver to Mercury Cathode. 



Using the Silver Plated Anode. — Gooch and Readf in one 

 experiment had a loss unaccounted for of "0012 grins, which 

 pointed towards the transfer of silver from the anode to the 

 mercury. Goldbaum,;}; however, after performing 50 elec- 

 trolyses found, by the use of the nephelometer, only '0003 grrns. 

 of silver in the residue from the cathode mercury after distil-' 

 lation. In the present work the writer found silver in the 

 cathode mercury whenever an electrolysis with silver on the 

 anode was made, though, under some conditions, the amount 

 was small enough to be quantitatively negligible. 



On the supposition that the transfer of silver to the cathode 

 takes place to a greater degree toward the end of the elec- 

 trolysis the effort was made to reproduce repeatedly in one 

 experiment such conditions as exist at the end of an electrolysis, 

 expecting by this means to get the maximum transfer of 

 silver. Accordingly two experiments were made in which 

 about 48 cn ' 3 of *1JN sodium chloride, added in approximately 

 2 cm3 portions, were electrolyzed. Twice during the operation, 

 once after the ninth addition of salt solution and once after 

 the fifteenth, the anode was removed, heated to free it from 

 silver oxide, and the contents of the inner cell siphoned out. 

 In greater detail : The apparatus was set up as usual, 50 cmS of 

 water added to the inner cell (the lower disc of the anode 

 being now about 4-5 mm above the surface of the mercury) and 

 the approximately 2 cm3 portion of the salt solution added. The 

 current, "06- , 09 amp., decreased generally in 8-10 minutes to 

 •03 amp. when a fresh portion of salt solution was added. 



After about 48 cm3 of the salt solution had been electrolyzed 

 in 24 portions, consuming 5 hours, the mercury was separated 

 and distilled. The residue from the two distillations contained, 

 on the average, 8 mgrms. of silver. These details are found 

 in Part I of Table V and show plainly the transfer of silver 

 under these conditions. 



*Loc. cit. f L - c - P- 549. t~L. c. 



