Absorption of Potassium Ions in Various Gases

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Abstract
Loss by scattering, retardation or neutralization suffered by a beam of positive potassium ions in traversing helium, argon, hydrogen, nitrogen, air and oxygen.—The absorption of potassium ions accelerated by 8.5 to 350 volts has been measured in helium, argon, hydrogen, nitrogen, air and oxygen. A magnetic deflection apparatus was used in which the metal parts were entirely enclosed in glass. The rays were observed that traversed a fixed distance at various pressures without being deflected from a semicircular path by scattering, retardation, or neutralization. A free path for absorption may be deduced which varies with the gas and velocity of the ions; it is larger than the value given by the kinetic theory for an argon atom in the gases used, varying from 10 times in the case of fast rays in helium to 1.4 times for slow rays in oxygen. At low velocity the free path decreases rapidly and approaches the kinetic theory value.

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