. Elements of modern chemistry . by thecompound compared with the volumes of its component gases. Experiment.—100 volumes of ammonia gas are introducedinto a tube inverted upon the mercury-trough (Fig. 7), andthe walls of which are pierced at the upper end by two plati-num wires, between the ends of which a small space is these wires are attached the extremities of the two con-ducting wires of a Ruhmkorff coil, and the current is passedso that a series of electric sparks traverses the ammonia betweenthe extremities of the wires in the tube. The gas is imme-diately decomposed, and the l
. Elements of modern chemistry . by thecompound compared with the volumes of its component gases. Experiment.—100 volumes of ammonia gas are introducedinto a tube inverted upon the mercury-trough (Fig. 7), andthe walls of which are pierced at the upper end by two plati-num wires, between the ends of which a small space is these wires are attached the extremities of the two con-ducting wires of a Ruhmkorff coil, and the current is passedso that a series of electric sparks traverses the ammonia betweenthe extremities of the wires in the tube. The gas is imme-diately decomposed, and the level of the mercury in the tube ! 32 ELEMENTS OF MODERN CHEMISTRY. is depressed. When the experiment has terminated it is foundthat the volume of the gas has been doubled. Instead of 100volumes, there are now 200, the gas being measured under thesame conditions of temperature and pressure as before. It isfound, by an analytical process that will be indicated furtheron, that these 200 volumes of gas resulting from the decompo-. FiG. 7. sition of 100 volumes of ammonia are composed of 150 vol-umes of hydrogen and 50 volumes of nitrogen. These 150volumes of hydrogen and 50 volumes of nitrogen are condensedby their union into 100 volumes of ammonia. In other words,3 volumes of hydrogen and 1 volume of nitrogen are combinedtogether in 2 volumes of ammonia. And as the volumes rep-resent atoms, it follows that in ammonia gas 3 atoms of hydro-gen are combined with 1 atom of nitrogen. But the quantity ofammonia containing 1 atom of nitrogen and 3 atoms of hydrogen is the smallest quantity of ammonia that can exist. It isa molecule of ammonia, and this molecule occupies 2 volumes,if 1 atom of nitrogen or 1 atom of hydrogen occupy 1 volume. Here, then, is another compound gas,—ammonia,—of whichthe molecule occupies 2 volumes, like that of water. It is thesame with all the gases. All of the atoms which are combinedto constitute the molecule of a gas or vapor are so condensedthat the
Size: 2370px × 1055px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectchemistry, bookyear1887
