On the possibility of a thermal effect accompanying sudden changes in the magneton-numbers in CuCl₂ and NiSO₄7 H₂O

Abstract

1. The temperature variation of the paramagnetic susceptibility of most of the solids follows the generalised Curie law ψ = C/ T ∓ θ' as found first by Kamerlingh Onnes and Weiss. This gives a linear relation between 1/ψ and T. The value of C is a measure of the atomic magnetic moment, and if this moment is expressed in terms of the Weiss magneton-number p, then p = 14.07 √C_M where C_M is the value of C when ψ refers to a gram-molecule. The experimental results for a paramagnetic substance are usually expressed in terms of p and θ. Weiss (1), Foex (2), Cabrera and others have found that in some substances there are discontinuities in the slope of the 1/ψ, T curve. Thus Weiss (3) finds that magnetite above its Curie point shows several sudden changes in the 1/ψ, T curve, which he has interpreted as corresponding to the magneton-numbers p = 4, 5, 6, 8,10. Similarly, for cupric chloride (anhydride) Weiss (4) gives p= 9.2 and 10, for the temperature ranges - 140° to 20° and 20° to 500° respectively. Nickel sulphate (5) has also been found to possess a transition point at about - 113°, where the p value on cooling changes from 14.6 to 18.2.