Glass powder is packed in a tube joining two vessels, and water vapour is made to flow through it. After the vapour is let enter one end of the tube, there is a time lag for the vapour to come out of the other end in steady state.
By measuring this time lag in setting up the steady state of flow, it is estimated that the amounts adsorbed at 10-510-6 mmHg, 0125°C are 0.510 and 150×10-8 c, c.S.T.P, /cm2 for lead borosilicate and soda lime glass surfaces respectively. It seems that the adsorption in this region is not of simple physical nature.
Using the time lag method, it is possible to eliminate the influence of ionization gauge. The residual gas pressure was about 1×10-8 mmHg. Surface areas of glass samples were determined by the B. E. T. method.