88 Mr. Golding Binrs Experimental Researches 



adhering to it. To determine with more accuracy at which 

 electrode the albumen was really deposited, the experiment 

 was repeated, with tiw cups containing a solution of albumen, 

 connected with each other either by means of moistened cot- 

 ton or asbestos, or, what appears to me to be much more con- 

 venient, by a glass tube bent twice at right angles and ter- 

 minating in capillary orifices, filled with water containing just 

 enough common salt to conduct the current with sufficient 

 readiness to ensure the success of the experiment. In this form 

 of the experiment copious coagulation of albumen soon ap- 

 peared in the positive cup, whilst the fluid in the negative cup 

 retained its limpidity. On examining the contents of the cups 

 after the electric action had been continued for six hours, the 

 fluid in the positive cup was found to be very acid, contained 

 in diffusion much coagulated albumen, and smelt powerfully of 

 chlorine, whilst the contents of the negative cup were limpid 

 and alkaline, and not coagulated by heat; the addition of acetic 

 or nitric acid, ho vv ever, caused a copious precipitation of albu- 

 men. The rationale of this result is very simple: the chloride 

 of sodium (from which it is nearly, if not quite impossible to 

 free liquid albumen) had been decomposed; chlorine and, from 

 the subsequent decomposition of the water, hydrochloric acid 

 appearing in the positive, whilst the soda had been conveyed 

 to the negative cup, where under electric action it had com- 

 bined with the albumen, forming an albuminate of soda. 



1 8. The last-described experiment was repeated, but with 

 only 6 pairs of the same plates (16.), similarly excited by weak 

 brine, and with platinum electrodes : gas was feebly evolved 

 from both wires, and in about half an hour the contents of the 

 positive cup were found to be acid, turbid (from the deposi- 

 tion of albumen), and smelling strongly of chlorine; whilst the 

 fluid in the negative cup was alkaline, limpid, and contained al- 

 buminate of soda in solution ; results precisely identical with 

 those obtained when the larger battery was employed (l?.)* 

 When copper wires were substituted for platinum in connect- 

 ing the cups of albumen to the little battery, a singular and 

 marked difference resulted ; the positive wire became tarnished 

 from the formation of an oxide, and was almost instantly co- 

 vered with a film of albumen, which increased so rapidly that 

 in a few minutes a piece of copper wire 0-02 inch thick be- 

 came as thick as a crow-quill from the rapid coagulation of 

 albumen *which adhered strongly to it : this albumen was green, 

 and contained a considerable quantity of oxide of copper; 

 affording in its physical and chemical characters a marked 

 and important difference from that obtained when platinum 

 electrodes were substituted for copper. 



19. Some of the solution of albumen was placed as before 



