An Extension of the Electron Theory of Metals

Theory of metallic conduction assuming free electrons and positive centers; comparison of computed with experimental results.-In the preceding theoretical paper the author has deduced a number of equations for the phenomena of thermoelectricity and metallic conduction. These are in fairly good agreement with the experimental facts within the range of ordinary temperatures, providing proper values are given to the constants for the various metals. To determine whether the values of the constants derived from one phenomenon will agree with those derived from other phenomena, the constants for the thermo E.M.F., the Peltier E.M.F. and the Thomson E.M.F. were computed from the experimental results for the thermoelectric power. While good agreement with observed values was found for the first two phenomena, for the Thomson E.M.F. and its temperature gradient the computed results frequently have the wrong sign, though they are of the right order of magnitude. The computed variation of conductivity with temperature agrees closely with the experimental results for copper for the range 0-70°, but the departures at higher temperatures are large and suggest that the equation needs modification. Deduction. The concentration of free electrons and positive centers computed from thermoelectric data, indicate that the observed differences of electrical conductivity among the various metals depend principally upon differences in the concentration of positive centers.