Conductivity of gases at high pressures

✍ Scribed by J. Clay; G. v. Kleef; M.A. v. Tijn

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1937
• Weight: 36 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0031-8914
• DOI: 10.1016/s0031-8914(37)80146-9

✦ Synopsis

Conductivity of gases at high pressures

During our experiments for determining the ionisation in gases at high pressures with high collecting fields we found that some gases become conductive at fields which are about ten thousand times smaller than the fields necessary for spontaneous ionisation.

The first time we realised this with certainty was during our measurements with xenon at 82 atm. and fields above 1200 Volt/cm. At 4000 Volt/cm the specific conductivity is already 2,6.10 -15 Amp/Volt. We found that neon of 63 atm. becomes conductive at 2000 Volt/cm but neon of 97 atm. is still insulating at 3200 Volt/cm. We found the same for nitrogen. This gas is still insulating at 140 arm. up to fields of 3000 Volt/cm, only at 3750 V/cm a small conductivity was found. At 115 atm. it becomes conductive at 1400 Volt/cm and at 75 atm. the limit is still lower. With air, and with argon we found no conductivity up to 150 atm. and 5000 Volt/era, but it is possible that there is conducti vity at lower pressures.

It seems that we have to deal here with a continuous change from an insulating to a conducting state by variation of the field. We are now observing this phenomenon in other gases at various pressures and temperatures.