GALVANIC POWER. 181 



two parallel legs, about two inches diftant from each other. »' ^'^^ '}^"^^ 

 This I laid in an earthen difli filled with dilute muriatic acid, (bended) wire; 

 I then brought a piece of zinc in contadl with one of the ends : 

 bubbles of hidrogen were immediately given out by that part 

 of the copper. After bubbles had appeared for about two 

 inches down this leg, I obferved bubbles on the end of the other 

 leg, — they now proceeded down the two legs till at laft they 

 appeared on the part where the wire was bended. I after- 

 wards laid a piece of zinc at one end of the fame dilh and a 

 piece of gold at the other. I prepared a metallic arch with 

 two pieces of wire, one of gold, the other zinc, foldered to- 

 gether. The zinc end I conneded with the piece of zinc in— and fo like* 

 the diih, and the gold end with the gold. After the eontad "^^^^^^^"^^^"^^'^^ 

 had been made about ten feconds, bubbles appeared on the between gold 

 piece of gold. The diflance was about twelve inches. I now ^^'^ ^^^^* 

 placed the pieces of gold and zinc at half the diftance, and 

 made the communication with the fame arch. The bubbles 

 now appeared upon the gold in about half the before-mentioned 

 time. Upon bringing the pieces ftill nearer together, the gold 

 gave out gas alraoft inftantly, but yet in all the three inftances 

 I had time to obferve that the bubbles always appeared firft on 

 that fide the gold next the zinc. 



I think from the above experiments that the difengagement Whence it Is 

 of hidrogen from the gold dops not depend upon its negative d]fgngage„fgnt of 

 l!ate, for this quality muft have been produced on the gold in hidrogen does 

 every one of the three inftances in the fame time, from the JJ^^^ ^^j" . °^^^ 

 communication being always made by an arch of the fame that the elec- 

 length. On the contrary, it proves that the eledricity difen- ^.^nica'tea""*' 

 gaged from the jzinc is communicated to the gold through the through the in- 

 intervening liquid. If we obferve the length of time taken up *^T>ofed liquid, 

 in its palTage through this medium, we Ihall fee that it does not 

 agree with the laws of ele<5iricity. Is it not therefore proba- 

 ble that when the oxigen of the water combines with the metal, 

 the hidrogen combines with the eleftricity of the metal, and a 

 compound of this kij)d obferves thofe laws confiftent with the 

 phenomena. 



In each of the cells of the galvanic trough a quantity of this Probability that 

 compound is diffufed through the liquid. The moment a com- [n^ombination 

 munication is made between the two ends, the elediricity en- with cle^ricity, 

 ters each of the copper-plates, leaving the hidrogen in bubbles 



Oft . 



