Abstract:
It has been thought advisable to give a summary of previous work on partition coefficients. Nernst (1) stated that the partition coefficient was independent of the concentration of the distributed substance, if the molecular condition was the same In each phase. Hantzsch and Sebaldt (2) who investigated the partition of ammonia between water and chloroform, found the coefficient was a constant. From similar experiments, Dawson and McCrae (3) confirmed Nernst's statement, for dilute solutions only. Bell and Field (4) investigating the same partition over a very wide range of concentration found the ratio diminished with increasing concentration of ammonia. Using phenol, acetic acid, ammonia and certain amines as distributed substances between Amyl alcohol and water, Herz and Fischer (5) confirmed Nernst's statement.
