The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1904-04-30

The composition of the air was up to
q few years ago relatively simple at
fair. Two principal gases, nitrogen and
oxygen, formed the greater part OF the
atmospheric mass; another: gas, carbon
tc ac4d, only representing Jew ten
thousAnoths of the total volume, and
aqueous vapor, variable trCm one day
to another. completed the nxed ele-
ments OF the worlds envelope. If TO
this combination we add little ozone,
CONDENSED oxygen, in small and variable
proportions, we have a complete state
ment OF our knowledge, or, at least.
that knowledge which sudlcsd tor a
student facing an examination, says a
translation in Public Opinion from
Nuova AntoIogia Rome.
To-day all is changed, for recently
have been found a large number Of
new gases in the air. A few days ago
Prof Ham, of Vienna, gave luminous
exposition of the present view of SCI
ence on this matter, and the conclusions
OF this famous meteorologlsl are very
interesting. Prof. Ham stated that to
the Known gases, oxygen ant nllrCIen,
or azote, we must add argcp. neon, CRY p
ton, xenon and helium. Further, ex-
penments have shown the presence of
hJ droSon, an element v.tal1y necessary
in the composition of water, but not
considered up to the present in the
ma44e-up Of the air. These gases have
offer ent ply steal properties. their dens-
ity especially being very dissimilar, the
lightest of all being hydrogen, COM
pared to which hel;um is ntarly twice
as heavy, 1877; neon, 80; azote, about
IA; OK gen, about Is; argon, nearly 20;
carbonic acid gas, %; crypton, Il, and
xenon, 81. With such differences In
density it is evident that the gases are
not present in equal proportions.
This view is radically different from
the classified view, for we have hereto
fore believed-basing our conceptions
on data obtained from balloon ascen-
sions-that the composition of the air
was the same, even at the greatest alti-
tuGes. which conception is easily I'M
derstood when it is recalled that we
only took into consideration oxygen and
azote, the density of which elements
is about the same. With the knowledge
we have to-day of the properties Of the
different gases, of their weight and their
liquefaction temperature, we may de-
termine approximately what the proper
tons should be at different attitudes,
the proportions being stated by Prof.
Ham as follows:
ION plains but slightly elevated above
the sea, the composition of the air is 70
per cent. of azote, 81 per cent. of oxy-
gen, 0.9 per cent. argon, 3-10,0OOth of
cerbonic acid, hydrogen, ITO ,0Q0th,
while the other three elements vary from
a hundred-thousandth to millionth
part. At six miles the azote is 81 per
cent. and the oxygen 1S per cent, argon
and caroonic acid gas have diminished
one-half, but hydrogen is little more
abundant, 31@ liters to the ten thou
sand, the average temperature at this
point being Is degrees C. At GO miles,
with a probable temperature of 80 de-
grees c.. the azote is only a memory,
about 1,1,000th; there is no oxygen,
4-1,0ooths of helium and 80 per cent. of
hydrogen. The total pressure of all of
these gases. which at the level of the
sea support column of mercury of 76O
mllliraeters. at this height only raise
2-100ths of millimeter of mercury"
Thus in the high regions of our at
mosphere hydrogen, accompanied by a
little helium, reigns supreme, while the
heavy gases which constitute the atmos-
phere in which we live and breathe ex-
ist only On the surface of the earth.