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- 25 THE MKASUREMBNT AND INTERERETATION OF THE ELBCTEIC STRENGTHS OF ALIPHATIC HYDEOCAEBONS E. W. Crowe, J. K. Bragg and A. H. Sharbaugh General E l e c t r i c Eesearch Laboratory Schenectady, N. Y. I t has been reported recently by Salvage (1) that the e l e c t r i c strengfths of l i q u i d , stralght-phaln hydrocarbons Increase with Increase i n molecular weight ftrom n-pentane through n-nonane. The purpose of the pres- ent work I s t o v e r i f y and investigate more c a r e f u l l y t h i s behavior, and t o int e r p r e t the r e s u l t s , i f possibll-ej i n terms of the physical properties of the hydrocarbons. The apparent e l e c t r i c strengths of a number of straight-chain and branched-chain a l i p h a t i c hydrocarbons vere measured and found t o de- pend l i n e a r l y upon litqUld density. The p l o t of e l e c t r i c stJTength versus density extrapolates t o the o r i g i n , as shown i n F i g . 1. Thus, we have an analog of Paschen's Law i n which l i q u i d density appears rather than gas pressure. This kind of behavior i s t p be expected provided only that the breakdown mechanism Is electronic. (1) B. Salvage, Proc I.E.E., 98, 22? (1951) 1.8 le 1.4 i 1.0 X t- u .6 .2 E L E C T R I C STRENGTHS OF HYDROCARBONS VS. DENSITY 0 - S T R A I G H T CHAIN PARAFFINS ⢠- B R A N C H E D CHAIN PAJRAFFINS A - O L E F I N HYDROCARBONS D - O Y C L O H E X A N E MERCURY CATHODE S T E E L ANODE 1.6MSEC P U L S E 0 .0084 CM, GAP 0.2 F I G I . 0 4 0.6 LIQUID DENSITY 0.8 1.0
