The data so far published on the diamagnetic susceptibilities of the alkaline halides, measured for the salts in the crystalline state, are very discordant and incomplete, as reference to Table I will show. The aim in carrying out these experiments has been twofold: firstly, to obtain a complete set of values for these salts and secondly to examine more closely than has hitherto been possible how rigorously the susceptibilities of simple crystalline salts are additive. It has already been established that the susceptibilities are approximately additive, but it has not been possible to test this with exactitude because of (
a
) the large discrepancies between the results obtained by previous observers, and (
b
) the lack of data for many crystals. The discrepancies may have arisen to some extent from the different experimental methods, some of which are more accurate than others and some of which may introduce errors peculiar to themselves. We have therefore made a complete re-determination of the susceptibilities of all the alkaline halides, using the same apparatus and method under the same conditions. Since any systematic experi-mental errors will affect all our results to approximately the same extent, we shall be in a stronger position for testing the additivity of the susceptibilities than if we rely partly on our own and partly on other observers’ results. Previous investigators have measured the susceptibilities of some compounds in the crystalline state and others in solution; the latter are of no help in connexion with our problem, for an examination of the available data suggests that solutions have susceptibilities higher by several per cent, than the corresponding crystals. We cannot, therefore, arrive at any certain conclusion by using results obtained partly for crystals and partly for solutions. 2—Method The method previously described has been used to obtain a complete set of values for the susceptibilities of the alkaline halides. Although slight modifications have been made from time to time, the apparatus has remained, in essentials, the same as when used for the measurement of the susceptibilities of the sodium and potassium halides.
The diamagnetic susceptibilities of salts forming ions with inert gas configurations II-The alkaline halides
