The chief object of these researches consisted in proving whether a displacement occurs in those cases where heat is absorbed, and in this instance it should be absorbed, because the formation of all metallic bromides is attended with the evolution of less heat than that of the chlorides, as is seen by the figures given in Note 689. If the mass of the bromine be increased, then the amount of chlorine displaced also increases. For example, if masses of bromine of 1 and 4 equivalents act on a molecule of sodium chloride, then the percentages of the chlorine displaced will be 6·08 p.c. and 12·46 p.c.; in the action of 1, 4, 25, and 100 molecules of bromine on a molecule of barium chloride, there will be displaced 7·8, 17·6, 35·0, and 45·0 p.c. of chlorine. If an equivalent quantity of hydrochloric acid act on metallic bromides in closed tubes, and in the absence of water at a temperature of 300°, then the percentages of the substitution of the bromine by the chlorine in the double decomposition taking place between univalent metals are inversely proportional to their atomic weights. For example, NaBr + HCl gives at the limit 21 p.c. of displacement, KCl 12 p.c. and AgCl 4¼ p.c. Essentially the same action takes place in an aqueous solution, although the phenomenon is complicated by the participation of the water.
The reactions proceed spontaneously in one or the other direction at the ordinary temperature but at different rates. In the action of a dilute solution (1 equivalent per 5 litres) of sodium chloride on silver bromide at the ordinary temperature the amount of bromine replaced in six and a half days is 2·07 p.c., and with potassium chloride 1·5 p.c. With an excess of the chloride the magnitude of the substitution increases. These conversions also proceed with the absorption of heat. The reverse reactions evolving heat proceed incomparably more rapidly, but also to a certain limit; for example, in the reaction AgCl + RBr the following percentages of silver bromide are formed in different times: hours 2 3 22 96 120 K 79·82 87·4 88·22 — 94·21 Na 83·63 90·74 91·70 95·49 — That is, the conversions which are accompanied by an evolution of heat proceed with very much greater rapidity than the reverse conversions.
The dissociation of hydriodic acid has been studied in detail by Hautefeuille and Lemoine, from whose researches we extract the following information. The decomposition of hydriodic acid is decided, but proceeds slowly at 180°; the rate and limit of decomposition increase with a rise of temperature. The reverse action—that is, I2 + H2 = 2HI—proceeds not only under the influence of spongy platinum (Corenwinder), which also accelerates the decomposition of hydriodic acid, but also by itself, although slowly. The limit of the reverse reaction remains the same with or without spongy platinum. An increase of pressure has a very powerful accelerative effect on the rate of formation of hydriodic acid, and therefore spongy platinum by condensing gases has the same effect as increase of pressure. At the atmospheric pressure the decomposition of hydriodic acid reaches the limit at 250° in several months, and at 440° in several hours. The limit at 250° is about 18 p.c. of decomposition—that is, out of 100 parts of hydrogen previously combined in hydriodic acid, about 18 p.c. may be disengaged at this temperature (this hydrogen may be easily measured, and the measure of dissociation determined), but not more; the limit at 440° is about 26 p.c.