Experimental studies on the mass susceptibility of the ammonium and substituted ammonium ions

Abstract

The present research was intended to establish a reliable value for the gram-ionic mass susceptibility of the ammonium ion, since the values obtained by various workers are not in close agreement. The specific susceptibilities of a large number of ammonium compounds have been measured, using the modified Gouy method. The molecular mass susceptibility of each compound has been calculated by multiplying the specific susceptibility by the molecular weight, and from the resulting values the correcting constant for anion was subtracted, giving the gram-ionic susceptibility of the ammonium ion in combination with univalent and divalent anions, and in solution. Deviations were found to occur in the two latter cases. A similar procedure has been adopted for the substituted ammonium compounds. Measurements on the ammonium halides in solution, and in the solid crystalline state, show a linear relationship between molecular susceptibility and coordination number, ana mean values of the gram-ionic susceptibility of the sulphate and lower fatty acid anions have been found in alkali metal and ammonium salts. Several anionic correcting constants have been proposed-on the basis of the experimental results. A series of susceptibility/atomic number graphs have been plotted, showing the relation between the experimental results and those calculated by theoretical means. In almost every case theory has been confirmed by experiment.The values of bond depressions were found inapplicable in a number of cases, owing to the uncertainty of which of several resonance formulae is the most satisfactory. The gram-atomic susceptibility of the oxygen atom in sulphur- and chromium-oxyacids has been determined, and a mean value of the susceptibility of the CH2 group agreeing closely with that of Pascal, has been found from several homologous series of compounds. Measurements on electronic and position isomers have confirmed the results of Bhatnagar and his co-workers.