Open AccessOn the chemical interaction of ions and the "clean up" of gases at glass surfaces under the influence of the electrical discharge
Author(s) -
James Taylor
Publication year - 1929
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series a, containing papers of a mathematical and physical character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9150
pISSN - 0950-1207
DOI - 10.1098/rspa.1929.0069
Subject(s) - neon , glow discharge , helium , glass tube , hydrogen , balmer series , atomic physics , electrode , ion , chemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , materials science , plasma , emission spectrum , tube (container) , spectral line , argon , composite material , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , astronomy , chromatography
The passage of sodium through glass under the influence of an electrical discharge is well known. With neon lamps the action is reversible. These lamps are filled with neon (containing a little helium and hydrogen) at about 10 mms. pressure, and the electrodes are of pure iron. The spectrum is that of neon, helium, and the Balmer series of hydrogen. Carbon monoxide bands are usually not present. Such a lamp was immersed in a bath of molten sodium nitrate which was used as negative electrode, and a potential of about 300 volts was maintained between the tube electrodes AB (see fig. 1) and the nitrate. The inside glass wall became covered with negative glow, a current of many milliamperes flowed initially through the glass, but fell off in an almost exponential manner with time to a constant smaller value (see Tables I and II). Rotation of the negative glow around the glass surface, and fatigue effects were strongly in evidence.