Abstract
ACCORDING to Debye, dispersion must take place in polar liquids around a frequency given by the expression : where T is the so-called time of relaxation, k is Boltzmann's constant, T is the absolute temperature and & is a constant corresponding to the internal friction which prevents the polar molecules from rotating freely. In the case of spherical molecules, to which Stokes's law can be applied where is the coefficient of viscosity and a the radius of the molecules. The time T is of the order of 3 × 1011 seconds for water and this period corresponds to a wave-length of about 1 cm. In order to bring the dispersion in a region of wave-length more accessible to undamped oscillating circuits, one can dissolve the polar liquids in very viscous non-polar solvents, as has been shown by Williams and Johnstone1. This procedure has another advantage, namely, that of eliminating the spurious effects of molecular association always present with polar substances.
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Williams and Johnstone, Phys Rev., 34, 1483 ; 1930
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WEIGLE, J., LUTHI, R. Debye's Dispersion of Nitrobenzene. Nature 131, 327 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/131327a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/131327a0
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