A micro-analysis of the helium and neon contents of air

Abstract

The first part of the paper deals with the quantitative separation of gases by fractional adsorption, the theoretical conditions of which had to be investigated before a really accurate helium analysis could be undertaken. The second part describes the micro-method and apparatus used for the determination of the helium and neon contents of atmospheric air, and discusses questions affecting the accuracy of the results, especially with respect to the samples obtained from the stratosphere (see preceding paper). Figures are given for the most reliable absolute values of the helium and neon contents of atmospheric air: 5.239 + 0.004 and 18.21 + 0/04 parts per million respectively.