Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from William Ramsay
Title
Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from William Ramsay
Creator
Date
Publisher
Identifier
GFF 8/99
Description
Handwritten letter from William Ramsay to George F, Fitzgerald, dated 9th of December 1894.
W. Ramsay writes to G. F Fitzgerald regarding a discovery about a gas with a specific heat ration of 1.66. He presents wavelength data from experiments and notes. He closes that No chemical compound has yet been found. Ramsay ends by mentioning ongoing work on a paper and sends well wishes from himself and his wife.
4pp.
Transcription:
My dear Fitzgerald,
I have been too hard at work to write friendly letters, (or hostile ones either) but I have just come on an extraordinary a result that I must tell you of it. The gas (or gases, for I am pretty sure there are three: there are certainly two) possesses the ratio of specific heats 1.66. The density is in round numbers 20. This means an atomic weight of 40; and at that place come Ca & Scandium & before Ca, K, There is no shadow of a doubt. About it
The wave length in air = 19.60 Ratio(K ------ Previously found
- in Co2 = 15.11 1.276 1.261
- in H2 = 73.60^x 1.376 1.411
- in Argon = 18.08 1.665 ----
The correct wavelength for 1.411 should be 74.5. The waves were so long as to be very difficult to measure. Moreover, any impurity could affect the density, which is assumed to be 1.
Whats the meaning of it all? The spectrum of the gas is a double one. If current is passed through a vacuum tube, The end of the capillary is red & gives one spectrum. The negative end is blue, & gives another. In the middle the spectrum is a mixed one.
No chemical compound has yet turned up. I have tried nearly everything I can think of. but fluorine yet, nor the electric arc between carbon poles. Have you seen the diaries of Dec 7th? If you can get hold of it look in P.7.
We are all well. [Lund R.?] & I am slaving away at the paper. Trying to get it off in a week from now.
Kind regards from the wife & myself to you all.
Regards,
W. Ramsay
W. Ramsay writes to G. F Fitzgerald regarding a discovery about a gas with a specific heat ration of 1.66. He presents wavelength data from experiments and notes. He closes that No chemical compound has yet been found. Ramsay ends by mentioning ongoing work on a paper and sends well wishes from himself and his wife.
4pp.
Transcription:
My dear Fitzgerald,
I have been too hard at work to write friendly letters, (or hostile ones either) but I have just come on an extraordinary a result that I must tell you of it. The gas (or gases, for I am pretty sure there are three: there are certainly two) possesses the ratio of specific heats 1.66. The density is in round numbers 20. This means an atomic weight of 40; and at that place come Ca & Scandium & before Ca, K, There is no shadow of a doubt. About it
The wave length in air = 19.60 Ratio(K ------ Previously found
- in Co2 = 15.11 1.276 1.261
- in H2 = 73.60^x 1.376 1.411
- in Argon = 18.08 1.665 ----
The correct wavelength for 1.411 should be 74.5. The waves were so long as to be very difficult to measure. Moreover, any impurity could affect the density, which is assumed to be 1.
Whats the meaning of it all? The spectrum of the gas is a double one. If current is passed through a vacuum tube, The end of the capillary is red & gives one spectrum. The negative end is blue, & gives another. In the middle the spectrum is a mixed one.
No chemical compound has yet turned up. I have tried nearly everything I can think of. but fluorine yet, nor the electric arc between carbon poles. Have you seen the diaries of Dec 7th? If you can get hold of it look in P.7.
We are all well. [Lund R.?] & I am slaving away at the paper. Trying to get it off in a week from now.
Kind regards from the wife & myself to you all.
Regards,
W. Ramsay
Source
RDS Library & Archives GFF collection of letters
Contributor
Rights
Copyright RDS Library & Archives. Publication, transmission or display is prohibited without formal written approval of the RDS Library & Archives.
Relation
RDS Science Archive
Format
Manuscript
Language
English
Type
Coverage
1870-1901
Collection
Citation
Ramsay, William, 1852-1916, “Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from William Ramsay,” RDS Digital Archive, accessed December 5, 2025, https://digitalarchive.rds.ie/items/show/2324.