PROFESSOR H. B. DIXON" ON THE RATE OF EXPLOSION IN OASES. 
101 
either with oxygen or with nitrous oxide. It is to he noticed that Berthelot 'worked 
with dry gases. 
Table III. —Mixtures of Combustible Gases with Oxygen. 
Gases. 
Velocity in metres per second. 
Calculated. 
Found. 
Hydrogen and carbonic oxide. 
(1) H. + CO + O 2 . . . . 
2236 
2008 
(2) 3 H 2 + 2CO + O 5 . . . 
2321 
2170 
Ethylene and hydrogen. 
( 1 ) CoH^ + Ho + Orj 
25.51 
2417 
( 2 ) CgH^ + 2 Ho + Og . 
2588 
2579 
Ethane and hydrogen. 
Cstie + + Og . . . . . 
2522 
2250 
With mixtures of hydrogen and carbonic oxide the formula is found to hold good. 
Berthelot explains this by saying that “ the hydrogen communicates to the carbonic 
oxide a law of detonation analogous to its own.” 
The general concordance between the observed velocities and the calculated rate of 
translation of the molecules shows, according to Berthelot, that dissociation plays 
but a small part in these phenomena, perhaps because of the high pressure developed : 
a result which is confirmed by the fact that the velocities are found to be independent 
of the pressure. 
A comparison is next made between the rates of explosion of “ isomeric mixtures,” 
i.e., mixtures of different gases which yield the same products of combustion. For 
instance, the rate of explosion of marsh gas and oxygen is compared with the rate of 
explosion of a mixture of ethylene, hydrogen, and oxygen yielding identical products ; 
the object being to eliminate the influence of the individual gases burnt. The same 
conclusions are drawn. 
