216 NOTES ON THE THEORY OF DISSOCIATION OF GASES. 
tetroxide. This most valuable research is published in “ Annales 
de Chemie et de Physique,” for 1883, and with it the remainder 
of what I have to say will deal. 
perature. In other words, the internal increase of energy must on 
the theory be very great; and this ought to be chemically 
discoverable. But the dissociation theory mere y assumes a 
dynamically. ‘ 
There is another point in connection with this matter which 
seems to me to be of interest, and that is the fact that Regnault 
discovered that the temperature co-efficient of the specific heats of 
gases depends on their chemical nature. Thus simple gases, and 
compound gases formed from their elements without condensation 
have no temperature co-eflicients at all, as far as the specific heats 
But with gases formed like steam wi mdensation of 
one-third the original volume, Regnault found temperature 
cients—not large—compared with the co-efficients found by 
vapour the co-efficients are, of course, functions of the 
mperature where dissociation goes i to a 
m. d then diminish when measured over a temperature 
racing one definite chemical . t did 
