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4^ XAVS OF POSITIVE ELECTRICITY

charged molecule :s that of oxygen; the negatively charged
oxygei; at:m what in many cases is the strongest

Hue on the negative <ide: the negatively charged oxygen
molecule is only met with in exceptional cases. The causes
which determine its appearance have not yet been made out: it
probably depends on the presence in the tube of some special
type of carbon compound. It does not seem to occur in
very carefully purified oxygen, I have found it most frequently
in oxygen containing a little hydrogen.

ATOMS CARRYING TWO OR MORE POSITIVE
CHARGES.

Though theheads of most of the parabolic arcs are situated in
the same vertical line, in many cases some of the parabolas, es-
pecially those corresponding to the atoms of oxygen and carbon,
are prolonged towards the vertical axis. The prolongations
do not reach right up to this axis but in many cases, as in the
line a in Fig. 26, Plate II., which is due to the atom of oxygen,
stop after going half-way. These prolongations of the para-
bolas are also parabolic and are continuations of the primary
parabola- They are therefore due to particles which, when they
are in the deflecting fields, have the same value of e/m as the
particles which produce the primary parabolas. The fact that
the smallest horizontal deflection of the prolongation is just
half that of the corresponding deflection of the primary shows
(see p. 12) that the swiftest of the particles in the prolonga-
tion has twice the kinetic energy of the swiftest,in the primary.
Thus these particles when in the electric field in the discharge
tube acquire twice the kinetic energy of the normal particle ;
they must therefore when in the discharge tube have had
twice the normal charge. They must, after passing through
the cathode and before getting into the deflecting fields, have



	4^ *XAVS OF POSITIVE* ELECTRICITY charged molecule :s that of oxygen; the negatively charged oxygei; at:m what in many cases is the strongest Hue on the negative <ide: the negatively charged oxygen molecule is only met with in exceptional cases. The causes which determine its appearance have not yet been made out: it probably depends on the presence in the tube of some special type of carbon compound. It does not seem to occur in very carefully purified oxygen, I have found it most frequently in oxygen containing a little hydrogen. ATOMS CARRYING TWO OR MORE POSITIVE CHARGES. Though theheads of most of the parabolic arcs are situated in the same vertical line, in many cases some of the parabolas, es- pecially those corresponding to the atoms of oxygen and carbon, are prolonged towards the vertical axis. The prolongations do not reach right up to this axis but in many cases, as in the line a in Fig. 26, Plate II., which is due to the atom of oxygen, stop after going half-way. These prolongations of the para- bolas are also parabolic and are continuations of the primary parabola- They are therefore due to particles which, when they are in the deflecting fields, have the same value of e/m as the particles which produce the primary parabolas. The fact that the smallest horizontal deflection of the prolongation is just half that of the corresponding deflection of the primary shows (see p. 12) that the swiftest of the particles in the prolonga- tion has twice the kinetic energy of the swiftest,in the primary. Thus these particles when in the electric field in the discharge tube acquire twice the kinetic energy of the normal particle ; they must therefore when in the discharge tube have had twice the normal charge. They must, after passing through the cathode and before getting into the deflecting fields, have