The Magnetic Susceptibilities of Metals Dissolved in Liquid Ammonia

Abstract

Here are recorded data on the magnetic susceptibilities of potassium and of cesium dissolved in liquid ammonia at 240°K and 220°K. Also included are a few data on calcium and barium. These solutions throughout the entire range of concentrations were regarded as representing an electron gas. Such systems would permit the distributions of the magnetic moments of the electrons to be followed continuously from the degenerate region of the Fermi-Dirac statistics to those distributions where the quantum and classical statistics are indistinguishable. The general features of the magnetic behavior of a free electron gas were recognized, overlaid, however, by interactions characteristic of the environment of the electrons in the solutions. In the light of the magnetic susceptibilities as well as of other properties, a description is proposed for the structure of the solutions with special reference to the conduction electrons. Barium was found to dissociate into two electrons per gram atom and it is inferred that calcium dissociated likewise, but much greater dilutions would be required for a satisfactory demonstration. A method of considerable sensitivity and accuracy has been developed for measuring the magnetic susceptibilities of substances at low temperatures.