Paper, 'On the relative densities of hydrogen and oxygen' by Lord Rayleigh [John William Strutt]

Description

Strutt writes: 'The appearance of Professor Cooke’s important memoir upon the atomic weights of hydrogen and oxygen induces me to communicate to the Royal Society a notice of the results that I have obtained with respect to the relative densities of these gases. My motive for undertaking this investigation, planned in 1882, was the same as that which animated Professor Cooke, namely, the desire to examine whether the relative atomic weights of the two bodies really deviated from the simple ratio 1:16, demanded by Prout’s Law. For this purpose a knowledge of the densities is not of itself sufficient; but it appeared to me that the other factor involved, viz., the relative atomic volumes of the two gases, could be measured with great accuracy by eudiometric methods, and I was aware that Mr. Scott had in view a redetermination of this number, since in great part carried out.'

Annotations in pencil and ink throughout.

Subject: Physics / Chemistry

Received 2 February 1888. Read 9 February 1888.

A version of this paper was published in volume 43 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On the relative densities of hydrogen and oxygen. Preliminary notice'.

Reference number

PP/11/23

Earliest possible date

1888

Physical description

Ink and graphite pencil on paper

Page extent

30 pages

Format

Manuscript