The phenomena arising from the addition of hydrogen peroxide to the sol of silicic acid
The formation of gas bubbles in silicic acid gel (or, in fact, any gel) has been described by Hatschek, and he expresses the view that “such bubbles, which can be produced by a variety of means, are always lenticular, while gas bubbles in a liquid at rest—however viscous—are, of course, spherical. It is possible to produce such bubbles during the transformation, and to note an abrupt change from the spherical to the lenticular shape, which, as stated, cannot be explained by a mere increase in viscosity.” Experimental. Preliminary Experiment. Bubbles were caused to form in the gel of siliic acid in the following manner:— A mixture of equal volumes of sodium silicate solution (D = 1·15) and hydrochloric acid (3N) was prepared in the usual manner (by using solutions of such concentrations as would cause gelation in 1 to 2 hours). After the mixture had cooled down to room temperature, 2 c.c. of twenty-volume hydrogen peroxide solution were added and the resulting mixture allowed to stand. The experiment was carried out in a small rectangular vessel to facilitate observation.