EXPERIMENTS OF GALVANIC ELECTRICITY. ] 37 



fnofr. cafes; what might have been expected from theory ; the 

 ^nalyfis of them was not made with very mi«ute attention. 



When water was acled upon by fparks taken from two from water ; 

 pieces of charcoal, the elaftic produces evolved were about ■£- 

 of carbonic acid, -J of oxigene, and the remainder an inflam- 

 mable gas, which required a little more than half its volume of 

 oxigene for its combuftion. With gold and charcoal the gold 

 being on the zinc fide, the gas produced appeared to be chiefly 

 a mixture of oxigene and hidrogene, for it diminilhed -3§ by 

 the electric fpark. 



The gas difengaged from alcohol, the fpark being taken by from alceholj 

 gold connected with the zinc end, and charcoal, was a mix- 

 ture of nearly two parts of oxigene and eleven parts of inflam- 

 mable gas, which appeared to be partly light hidrocarbonate. 



Ether, in the fame method of operating, gave four parts of ether ; 

 oxigene and twelve, parts of inflammable gas. 



From fulphuric acid, oxigene and hidrogene were produced fulph. acid; 

 very rapidly, (the oxigene being more than fuflicient for the 

 faturation of the hidrogene by combuftion,) and the acid be- 

 came blue. 



The gas from nitric acid detonated with great violence by nitric acid, 

 the electric fpark, and the refiduum was oxigene, mixed with 

 a little nitrogene. 



The produces from the acids, there is every reafon to be- 

 lieve, were evolved chiefly in confequence of the decompofi- 

 tion of the water they contained. And, in operating upon 

 thefe fubftances, as well as upon pure water, a portion of the 

 elaftic fluids mutt have been produced at the time of the filent 

 tranfmiffion of the electricity, during the momentary interrup- 

 tions of contact. The apparent ignition of the charcoal in the Ignition of the 

 different fluids depended, probably, in fome meafure, upon » ts counted for?" 

 being furrounded, at the moment of contact, by globules of 

 gas, which prevented the heat, produced at the points of it, 

 from being rapidly carried off by the fluid. 



When the fpark was taken by means of iron wires, in phof-Gas from fufed 

 phorus rendered fluid by heat, under ^ ftratum of water, per- P hof P horus ' 

 manent gas was produced from it, but in a quantity too fmall 

 to be examined, after a procefs that continued an hour. I 

 purpofe to repeat the experiment, with conductors of dry 

 charcoal. 



IV. 



