Why properties of canal rays depend upon the gas enclosed in the discharge tube?
Answers
The gaseous atoms present in the glass discharge tube are hit by the cathode rays, which cause the electrons to gain energy and move out of the atom. ... It is so because, the properties of canal rays depend upon the charge/mass ratio and this value is different in different gases for canal rays.
Properties of Canal rays
The characteristics of canal rays are:
i. They depend on the nature of gas present in the cathode ray tube. These are positively charged gaseous ions.
ii. The charge to mass ratio of these particles depends on the nature of the gas.
iii. Some of the positively charged particles carry a multiple of the fundamental unit of electric charge.
iv. The behaviour of these particles in the magnetic or electrical field is opposite to that observed for cathode rays.
v. They can produce heating effect and can do mechanical work.
vi. They are invisible and can be observed with the help of fluorescent or phosphorescent materials.
vii. They also travel in straight lines.