442 Lincoln—Electrical Conductivity. 
The dielectric constants of these solvents have not been de¬ 
termined to my knowledge. The coefficients of association of 
pyridine and quinoline do not indicate polymerization of their 
molecules, while that of piperidine indicates a slight polymeri¬ 
zation. It will also be noted that this last named solvent yields 
solutions that conduct very much more poorly than either of 
the others. Werner’s molecular weight determinations in piperi¬ 
dine give values somewhat higher than the theoretical: for ex¬ 
ample, the average of three determinations for AgN0 3 is 188.88 
whereas the theory requires 169.55. 
THEORETICAL PART. 
Through the efforts of various investigators of non-aqueous 
solutions, a large number of facts have been accumulated which 
have been rather difficult to explain satisfactorily by means of 
the generally accepted theory of electrolytic dissociation. From 
time to time additional theories have been promulgated to ex¬ 
plain these facts; until, at the present time, many have been 
advanced by means of which explanations have been attempted 
and from which generalizations have been drawn — in some cases 
apparently without sufficient experimental data to warrant them. 
A brief survey of the explanations offered will now be given, 
and an effort will be made to show wherein these are not recon¬ 
cilable with the experimental results herein presented. 
From a consideration of the optical properties of solvents, 
Briihl 1 comes to the conclusion that oxygen is generally tetra- 
valent. He attributes the polymerization of the molecules of 
water and of other oxygenated liquids, their high specific in¬ 
ductive capacity, as well as the dissociative power exerted 
upon the dissolved substance, to their being unsaturated com¬ 
pounds. It is true that a great many oxygenated solvents do 
yield solutions that conduct electricity; but it has been pointed 
out by Dutoit and Friderich that the ethers and the ether salts 
are not polymerized solvents and that they yield solutions that 
do not conduct, or the conductivity of which is very slight; as 
1 Zeit. phys. Chem ., 18, 514; 1895; Ibid, 27, 317; 1898; Ber. chem. 
Ges. Berlin , 30, 163; 1897. 
