In the earlier apparatus 10-liter samples were used, and the volume of
the respiration chamber was so large that it was necessary to multiply
the values found in the residual sample by a very large factor, 500.
Hence, the utmost caution was taken to procure an accurate measurement
of the sample, the exact amounts of carbon dioxide absorbed, and
water-vapor absorbed. To this end a large number of corrections were
made, which are not necessary with the present type of apparatus with a
volume of residual air of but about 1,300 liters, and accordingly the
manipulation and calculations have been very greatly simplified.
While formerly pains were taken to obtain the exact temperature of the
air leaving the gas-meter, with this apparatus it is unnecessary. When
the earlier type of apparatus was in use there were marked changes in
the temperature of the calorimeter laboratory and in the water in the
meter which were naturally prejudicial to the accurate measurement of
the volume of samples, but with the present control of temperature in
this laboratory it has been found by repeated tests that the temperature
of the water in the meter does not vary a sufficient amount to justify
this painstaking measurement and calculation. Obviously, this
observation also pertains to the corrections for the tension of aqueous
vapor. It has been found possible to assume an average laboratory
temperature and reduce the volume as read on the meter by means of a
constant factor.
The quantity of air passing through the meter is so adjusted that
exactly 10 liters as measured on the dial pass through it for one
analysis. The air as measured in the meter is, however, under markedly
different conditions from the air inside the respiration chamber. While
there is the same temperature, there is a material difference in the
water-vapor present, and hence the moisture content as expressed in
terms of tension of aqueous vapor must be considered. This obviously
tends to diminish the true volume of air in the meter.
Formerly we made accurate correction for the tension of aqueous vapor
based upon the barometer and the temperature of the meter at the end of
the period, but it has now been found that the reduction of the meter
readings to conditions inside of the chamber can be made with a
sufficient degree of accuracy by multiplying the volume of air passing
through the meter by a fraction, _(h-t)/h_, in which _h_ represents the
barometer and _t_ the tension of aqueous vapor at the temperature of the
laboratory, 20° C. Since the tension of aqueous vapor at the laboratory
temperature is not far from 15 mm., a simple calculation will show that
there may be considerable variations in the value of _h_ without
affecting the fraction materially, and we have accordingly assumed a
value of _h_ as normally 760 mm., and the correction thus obtained is
(760 - 15)/760 = 0.98, and all readings on the meter should be
multiplied by this fraction.
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