322 EXPERIMENTS ON THE METALS FROM THE FIXED ALKALIS, 



Explanation of the Figures. 



Explanation of PI. IX, Fig. 1. The apparatus for electrizing potassium 

 the nlates. j n g asses# \ ( ne g] ass tube. B the wire negatively elec- 

 trified. C and D the cup and wire positively electrified. 



Fig. 2. The apparatus for decomposing water out of the 

 contact of air. AA the cones containing the water. 

 BBB the tubes for conveying the gas. C and D the pneu- 

 matic apparatus. 



Fig. 3. The apparatus for decomposing and recomposing 

 water under oil. CC the wires for communicating the Vol- 

 taic electricity. DD the wires for producing the explo- 

 sion. B the tube. A the vessel containing it. o, d y c* the 

 level of the different fluids. 



PI. X, Fig. 4. The apparatus for exposing water to the 

 action of ignited potash and charcoal, out of the contact 

 of air. A the tube for water. B the iron tube. C the 

 receiver for the ammonia. D the pneumatic apparatus. 



Fig. 5. The apparatus for the decomposition of ammonia. 



Fig- 6. A Voltaic apparatus, being one of the 200 

 which compose the new Voltaic battery of the Royal In- 

 stitution. For the construction of this battery, and of 

 other instruments applicable to new researehes, a fund of 

 upwards of ^1000 has been raised by subscription, from 

 members of the Royal Institution. As yet, the whole 

 combination has not been put into action ; but reasoning 

 from the effects of that part of it which has been used, 

 gome important phenomena may be expected, from so great 

 an accumulation of electrical power. 



II. Some new Experiments on the Metals from the fixed 

 Alkalis. 



Metals of the ^ n * ne P a P er * n wn » cn I & rs t made known potassium and 



ixed alkalis. sodium to the Royal Society, I ventured to consider these 



bodies according to the present state of our knowledge, as 



undecompounded, and potash and soda as metallic oxides, 



capable of being decomposed and recomposed, like other 



bodies of this class, and with similar phenomena. 



Different hypo- Since that time, various repetitions of the most obvious 



thetical expla- f the experiments on this subject have been made in 



&cts. ° different parts of Europe. The generality oi enlightened 



chemists 



