erteH between i]ie pririicles of the conductors, iitid tji, in ih'tt 

 TC»\iecU precisely analo<j[OU« to thai power, winch in th« 

 ]anij«e<Te of mod«»rn chemistry is Heuominatecl caloric. 

 MckI* in which ^* ^'^i^ ^*^^" ^"'^K known, that caloric, aided hy the affinity 

 ♦kis i« «fFected dif a sobstance for one of the eleaaeuta of a cunuiound, i» 

 in the case of _ . cr i ^ • /• i . i 



eal(4ric> sufficient to etrect the decompo«iiioii of tlie componn<l* ana 



this fact is particularly ohRervuble in thi» rediiction of me- 

 t iilic oxides, by heating then> with iniiammabiek, or metals. 

 By these means the French chenniiits have lately •ucceedcd 

 in their attempts to decompose the i\xed alkalis, and have 

 »; • obtained, in an uncumbined ^tate, tlicir constituent ele- 



ments, whleh appear to be oxic;evi, and a metallic base. The 

 rationale of these decompositions is snfiiciently obvWus. 

 The repulsive force of caloric separates the constituent par- 

 t»c)efi of the compound; at the same time, by diminibhin}* 

 the cohesion of the inflammable, or uncombined metal, itJ 

 renders its attraction for oxi<»en efficient ; and hence the 

 separation f^f o^xi«:jea from the oxide, and its combinatiort 

 with the \inc(^inbined metal, or with the inflammable, The^ 

 <>xigen, enterir)g into a new combination, is removed froiiii 

 the sphere of chemical action, and thus its reunion with the' 

 metal, from whicb it had been separated, iii preyented. '» 



ana >n that of The decompositions by galvanism will, I think, admit oR 

 j5«tT»Bisa. explanation on similar principles, The action of the two 

 •riretofthe j^alvanic l>attery occasions such a repulsion, at »> 

 certain number of points, as separates the constituents ofo 

 the compound, which is made a part of the circuit, and? 

 which must possess a degree of conductiuj4 power. The se-# 

 psration of the particles of dissimilar kinds of matter, whicht 

 had been in c^ontact, produces different electrical states inf- 

 tbera: the one ?et of particles is, consequently, attracted 

 with greatest force by the poMtive wire, tlie other set of par-? 

 , tides is attracted with j^reatest force by the uegative wire ;• 



the separated particles are thus placed beyond the sphere/ 

 6f chemical action, and their reunion does not take place. 



Hrtvinj;, then, considered at some length the question pro-.. 

 posed by Mr. Davy, 1 am salisfted, that we cannot admit thet. 

 Kypothetiis, which refers chemical phenomena to the elec-*-. 

 trical energi%r« of the particles of mailer. 1 am willing to 

 ifclWsy, thatitishi^ldy ingtniaus, and tbac at^rtt sight it U^s 



really 



