CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 199 



tubes full of moist oxygen, and placed either over mercury, or a solu- 

 tion of iodide of potassium, or containing in their interior a moistened 

 leaf of silver ; we then saw the oxygen become absorbed in a regular 

 manner by the action of the electric spark, aud in many experiments 

 obtained a complete absorption. Lastly, to get rid of all doubts about 

 the particular activity imparted to oxygen by the electric spark, we 

 wished to verify the preceding experiments in closed tubes. We, 

 therefore, introduced into tubes filled with pure oxygen some iodide of 

 potassium and moistened silver. We submitted these tubes for 

 several days to the action of electricity ; the spark, which, during the 

 first days was very brilliant, became paler* and paler, and at last almost 

 invisible. At this moment on breaking the tubes, under water, we 

 saw this liquid rush into their interior and fill them completely, thus 

 showing that a vacuum had been produced, and consequently that the 

 oxygen had become completely absorbable without heat, by the silver 

 and iodide of potassium. We must add, that to render these experi- 

 ments decisive, we had previously ascertained 1st, that pure water, 

 the surface of glass and the platinum wires conducting the sparks, 

 could not absorb oxygen ; 2(1, that water is not necessary to develope 

 the activity of oxygen, but to cause the active oxygen to react upon 

 metals or iodide of potassium ; 3d, that the electric spark does not 

 decompose the iodide of potassium. We think, therefore, that we 

 have shown, by rigorous experiments, that oxygen under the 

 influence of electricity, can become completely absorbable in the cold 

 by iodide of -potassium and several metals, such as mercury and silver. 

 These facts confirm the researches of Schonbein and others, and show 

 that electricity, in acting upon oxygen, developes properties in it 

 which did not exist before its influence; we propose, therefore, simply 

 to give the name electrified oxygen to the gas, which having been sub- 

 mitted to the action of electricity acquires a particular state of chemi- 

 cal activity, and to abandon the name ozone, which expresses the idea 

 of the transformation of the oxygen into a new body. 



OBSERVATIONS RELATIVE TO THE ELECTRO-CHEMICAL PROPER- 

 TIES OF HYDROGEN. 



THE following paper was lately read before the French Academy of 

 Science : 



It is known that when two sheets of platinum have been previously 

 placed in contact, one with hydrogen gas and the other with oxygen, 

 and are immersed in water mixed with sulphuric acid, they constitute, 

 momentarily, a voltaic pair the sheet covered with hydrogen serving 

 as the zinc side of an ordinary pair. By arranging on the conducting 

 liquid two tubes, half filled, one with hydrogen the other with oxygen, 

 and immersing the sheets of platinum partly in the liquid and partly 

 in one of the gases, the pair gives out electricity until there is no more 

 gas in the tubes. By uniting several pairs, there is formed what has 

 been called a gas battery ; it is worthy of notice that in this battery, 

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