Note 32 — Chapter III · OXYGEN AND THE CHIEF ASPECTS OF ITS SALINE COMBINATIONS

The eudiometer is used for determining the composition of combustible gases. A detailed account of gas analysis would be out of place in this work (see Note 30), but, as an example, we will give a short description of the determination of the composition of water by the eudiometer.

Pure and dry oxygen is first introduced into the eudiometer. When the eudiometer and the gas in it acquire the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere—which is recognised by the fact of the meniscus of the mercury not altering its position during a long period of time—then the heights at which the mercury stands in the eudiometer and in the bath are observed. The difference (in millimetres) gives the height of the column of mercury in the eudiometer. It must be reduced to the height at which the mercury would stand at 0° and deducted from the atmospheric pressure, in order to find the pressure under which the oxygen is measured (see Chap. I. Note 29). The height of the mercury also shows the volume of the oxygen. The temperature of the surrounding atmosphere and the height of the barometric column must also be observed, in order to know the temperature of the oxygen and the atmospheric pressure. When the volume of the oxygen has been measured, pure and dry hydrogen is introduced into the eudiometer, and the volume of the gases in the eudiometer again measured. They are then exploded. This is done by a Leyden jar, whose outer coating is connected by a chain with one wire, so that a spark passes when the other wire, fused into the eudiometer, is touched by the terminal of the jar. Or else an electrophorus is used, or, better still, a Ruhmkorff's coil, which has the advantage of working equally well in damp or dry air, whilst a Leyden jar or electrical machine does not act in damp weather. Further, it is necessary to close the lower orifice of the eudiometer before the explosion (for this purpose the eudiometer, which is fixed in a stand, is firmly pressed down from above on to a piece of india-rubber placed at the bottom of the bath), as otherwise the mercury and gas would be thrown out of the apparatus by the explosion. It must also be remarked that to ensure complete combustion the proportion between the volumes of oxygen and hydrogen must not exceed twelve of hydrogen to one volume of oxygen, or fifteen volumes of oxygen to one volume of hydrogen, because no explosion will take place if one of the gases be in great excess. It is best to take a mixture of one volume of hydrogen with several volumes of oxygen. The combustion will then be complete. It is evident that water is formed, and that the volume (or tension) is diminished, so that on opening the end of the eudiometer the mercury will rise in it. But the tension of the aqueous vapour is now added to the tension of the gas remaining after the explosion. This must be taken into account (Chap. I. Note 1). If but little gas remain, the water which is formed will be sufficient for its saturation with aqueous vapour. This may be learnt from the fact that drops of water are visible on the sides of the eudiometer after the mercury has risen in it. If there be none, a certain quantity of water must be introduced into the eudiometer. Then the number of millimetres expressing the pressure of the vapour corresponding with the temperature of the experiment must be subtracted from the atmospheric pressure at which the remaining gas is measured, otherwise the result will be inaccurate (Chap. I. Note 1).

This is essentially the method of the determination of the composition of water which was made for the first time by Gay-Lussac and Humboldt with sufficient accuracy. Their determinations led them to the conclusion that water consists of two volumes of hydrogen (more exactly 2·003, Le Duc 1892), and one volume of oxygen. Every time they took a greater quantity of oxygen, the gas remaining after the explosion was oxygen. When they took an excess of hydrogen, the remaining gas was hydrogen; and when the oxygen and hydrogen were taken in exactly the above proportion, neither one nor the other remained. The composition of water was thus definitely confirmed.