Societies and Academies

Abstract

LONDON. Faraday Society, June 14.—Prof. A. W. Porter, vice-president, in the chair.—Dr. A. Fleck and T. Wallace: Conduction of electricity through fused sodium hydrate. The resistance to the passage of current through fused caustic soda and its rate of change with temperature have been examined by a direct-current method. In view of the difficulties of containing the soda in a non-conducting non-porous vessel, the experiments have been carried out in the centre of a large mass of soda. The decomposition voltage has been studied and found to be a variable quantity, decreasing at the rate of 2.25 × 10-3 volts per degree Centigrade rise in temperature. This figure differs from the previously published figure of 2.95 × 10-3 V It has been found that when a current is passed through fused sodium hydrate between two sodium electrodes the current is always proportional to the applied E.M.F.—Dr. H. F. ftaworth: The measurement of electrolytic resistances using alternating currents. An electrolytic cell acts like a capacity in series with a resistance. If this capacity and resistance be measured at various frequencies, they will be found to vary with the frequency. If the impedance of the cell is plotted vectorially with respect to the resistance for various frequencies, the locus is a straight line which cuts the resistance axis at infinite frequency. This gives the true resistance of the electrolyte.—J. L. Haughton: The measurement of electrical conductivity in metals and alloys at high temperatures. The study of the electrical conductivity of alloys has generally been carried out by measuring the conductivity of the alloys at room-temperature and plotting a curve connecting conductivity with composition, but much valuable information can be obtained by plotting the curve connecting the composition and temperature and using a series of such curves in the same way as the ordinary thermal curves. The paper describes a method which can be employed for this.—N. V. Si KnibbS and H. Palfreeman: The theory of electro-chemical chlorate and perchlorate formation. This paper is the outcome of a study of the electrolytic formation of chlorate and perchlorate based on recent large-scale operations. It aims at a presentation of the theory of the mechanism of chlorate and perchlorate formation and its anplication to their technical production. A series of investigations was undertaken in order to elucidate a number of doubtful points and to obtain data which were of importance in the technical control of the process.—J. B. Firth: Sorption of iodine bv carbon. The sorption of iodine by carbon was studied over a period of five vears; the forms of carbon used were lampblack, blood carbon, sugar carbon, animal carbon,coconut carbon from shell, and coconut carbon from fruit. The solvents used were chloroform and benzene. The activity of the carbon was shown to> depend on its previous treatment. In all cases a rapid condensation takes place in the first few minutes, followed by a much slower sorption, which may continue for several years. The influence of the size of the carbon particles was also studied.—F. H. Jeffery: Electrolysis of solutions of sodium nitrite using a copper anode.—Dr. A. M. Williams: The pressure variation of equilibrium constant in dilute solution. The apparent discrepancy between the expressions of Planck and Rice rests on a misinterpretation of the latter's symbols. Another deduction is given.—Miss Nina Hosali: Models illustrating crystalline form and symmetry.