1910–1911
Britannica 11th
Encyclopaedia Britannica · 11th edition
ARGON (from the Or. &-, privative, and tpyov, work; hence meaning " inert "). a gaseous constituent of atmospheric air. For more than a hundred years before 1894 it had been supposed that the composition of the atmosphere was thoroughly known. Beyond variable quantities of moisture* and traces of carbonic acid, hydrogen, ammonia, &c., the only constituents recognized were nitrogen and oxygen. The analysis of air was conducted by determining the amount of oxygen present and assuming the remainder to be nitrogen. Sin…
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- Vol. 2, pp. 475-478