5 n* Re/eanhet-ivtihtffe Effe^i-^Gaha»i/ht en Water. 



pofllble thar you have already anticipated them In England : they are, however, of fuch aft 

 important nature,, that I think it advifeable to give them to you on chance. The principal 

 galvanic difooverer here ie a young man, called Ritter, at Jena, in Saxony: about two 

 years fincehe publifhed the refult of his almoft innumerable experiments, in which he 

 eftabliflied all its laws,, and- anticipated almoft all the newer experiments. Unfortunately 

 the book was written very bbfcurely, and was ftill more obfcured by the language of the 

 newer philofophy ;. and the author having neither enemies who were interefted in bringing 

 him intoidifcredit,. nor friends who were dcfirousof drawiiighim out of obfcurity, his work 

 remained little known and Icfs noticed ; he, therefore, gave up, in a great meafure the 

 fub]'c<Sl, and applied himfelf to other purfuits, till a^few months fince the general infcerefl 

 bellowed upon the fubjeft reanimated his zeal. Having fatisfied himfelf that l>y pafllng the 

 galvanic influence by means of' gold wires through waterj. the oxygen gas alone was. 

 given off at the extremity of the wire conne£led with the zinc end, aiid the hydrogen gas 

 from that communicating with the filver end of the pile, he rcafoned thus. If each particle 

 of water be- compofed of aiparticle of hydrogen and another of oxygen, how^ can the cojf- 

 refponding gafeous particles firft- make their appearance at the extremities of the rc- 

 fpeclive wires, placed at one inch diftancc ? can it be fuppofcd that the particle.of water 

 is at one and the fame time at the extremity.of each wire i* — tliis fuggefted to him to inter- 

 pofefome fubftance between the extremities of the wires, which was at the.fame time ca- 

 pable of conducing the galvanic influence, and of remaining petfeflly unaltered by it. 

 Stich a fubftance prefented. itfelf in highly concentrated fulphuric acid: in a tube of the ad- 

 joining figure 6, plate XXL he poured a portion of the acid, the upper parts he filled carefully 

 with water, in whichi by means of cork, he iutroduced two gold wires within a fhort diltanceof 

 the furface of the acid. On fuffering the galvanic influence- to pafs through it, the water in 

 the leg a being conncfted with the zinc afforded oxygen gas alone, while that in the leg b 

 communicating with the filver, gave hydrogen gas ; and this evolution of gas, as in all other 

 cafcs, continues folong as the galvanic chaiu remains uninterrupted. To obviate the objec- 

 tions which might be made, that perhaps one or other of the gafes made its way through the 

 acidy he contrived the following experiment. He filled two tubes <j.andi, fig. 5, Jialf;with 

 acid, and the remainder with water ; in each two gold wires were introduced, in fuch a 

 manner that the extremities of the upper were furrounded with water, while the lower 

 remaiaed immerfed in acid, and were conne£lcd at z. The effeil was precifely the 

 fame : fo long as tlie tubes flood in the chain, and the wire a was conne£led with the zinc, 

 the water in that tube furnifhed oxygen gas alone, and the water in b hydrogen gas ; but no 

 fooner was the manner of connexion reverfed, than the reverfe took place. Laflly, to re- 

 move the objedlion that thofc two procefles are dependant on, and infeparable from, one 

 another, he placed a fingle tube filled in the above manner in the chain. As long as the wire 

 Immerfed in water was connefted with the zinc, oxygen gas aloncprefented itfelf; but when 

 it was turned towards the filver, hydrogen gas ; thus it is proved, that water under certain 

 ctrcumftances, may be wholly converted into oxygen gjiSj and under others, intoJijjrdrog,en- 



3 g=»s> 



