EXPERIMENTS OF GALVANIC ELECTRICITY. 13^ 



inflammable. The procefs was repeated three times ; and, Effe&sj 

 when the fpark was molt vivid, a white cloud was always per- 

 ceived at the moment of its production, I am inclined to at- 

 tribute this phenomenon, and the other phenomena, to the 

 decompofition of the water held in folution in the gas, by the 

 charcoal and the mercury adhering to it ; and the white mat- 

 ter was probably muriate of mercury. The acidgafes are ra- 

 pidly abforbed by charcoal ; and this fubltance, when well 

 made, will take up more than 30 times its volume of muriatic 

 acid gas ; fo that, in the procefs of ignition, a part of the wa- 

 ter and of the acid muft have been acled upon in a very con- 

 denfed ftate. 



The want of fuccefs in this experiment, the refults of which very fimilar to 

 are very fimilar to thofe obtained by Mr. William Henry *, S° fe °'^ u n W * 



. ,..,.. J J Henrywith com- 



m his trials with common electricity, prevented me from car-mon elearicity. 

 rying on the procefs upon fluoric acid gas, as I had at firft in-*? decompofi- 

 tended. Many of the compound gafes that are decompofable 

 by heated charcoal, might probably, however, be analyfed in 

 a very fimple manner, by means of the ignition of that fubftance 

 by galvanic electricity ; and this mode of operating may be 

 conveniently applied, for afcertaining the relations of the affi- 

 nities of charcoal for the conftituent parts of compound gafes 

 at very high temperatures. 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS, &c. 



NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE. 



Prize propofed at the Public Sitting of the 1 5 Germinal, in the 

 1 Oth Year. (April 5, 1802.) 



Jl HE general conditions are as ufual; namely, that the Conditions, 

 name of the author fhall be concealed, and his rank diftin- 

 guifhed by a fentence or device, which (hall alfo be written 

 on a fealed billet, containing his name and addrefs. The 

 works are to be addrefled (carriage paid) to one of the Secre- 

 taries of the Inflitute. Neither the treatifes, nor any draw- 



* Phil. Tranf. 1800, p. 188, or Philof. Journal, quarto, iv. 

 209. 245. 





ings 



