TRIATOMIC HYDROGEN

Abstract

A study was made of the activation of hydrogen in the alternating-current corona discharge at atmospheric pressure. The resulting test for sulphide was negative unless the gas contained a small percentage of oxygen. Oxygen promoted the activation by acting as a wall poison. Stearic acid also acted as a wall poison in a vacuum tube discharge through hydrogen at pressures from 20 to 80 mm. The hydrogen was freed from oxygen by passing gas from a compressed cylinder over platinized asbestos heated to 550 °C. A fatigue effect appeared which was found to be due to the oxygen content of the hydrogen and to the condition of the walls of the discharge tube.Quantitative determinations of the relation between concentration of the active gas and the velocity of hydrogen show that, at 42 mm. pressure, the concentration varied directly with the velocity up to an optimum flow of 2.4 litres per hour. At a higher rate the concentration varied inversely with the velocity. The per cent activation was found to vary inversely with the pressure between 30 and 80 mm. In the corona discharge the maximum per cent activation for hydrogen containing 0.1% of oxygen was 0.001.A concentration of 0.025% active hydrogen was found for the vacuum discharge in a tube the walls of which were poisoned with stearic acid, and in which the pressure and velocity were 42 mm. and 2.4 litres, respectively.