Thoiujli at first there did not e.rist a potmtinJ diff'i'rence between 

 I and 11, this iri/I, indeed, he the case after some time, hecause in 



a ^—^ 



consequence of the electroh/tic process, one metal electrode has become 

 less base or even noble, lohereas on die other hand the other electrode 

 has become baser. 



As has been said, in many cases llie metastable state will separate, 

 and then part of the potential difference is, of course, to be attributed 

 to this. This, however, does not affect the nature of the phenomenon. 



6. Here, liowever, the limiting case has been assumed that the 

 metal molecules and ions are not iransfornied into each other at all 

 during- the experiment, which, however, will not be the case in 

 general. As a rule the system will not entirely behave as a unary 

 one with regard to the metal molecules and ions, nor will it behave 

 entirely as a pseudo-system, and for this veiy reason exceedingly 

 remarkable phenomena may present themselves. Thus it has been 

 found that in some cases periodic oscillations occur in the |)Otential 

 difference in the above described experiment, which, as I stated 

 before, seems to indicate that the internal transformations at first 

 are slackened by negative catalytic influences, which however, 

 after a certain degree of metastability has been leached, are no 

 longer able to maintain the formed metastable state, so that" all at 

 once an internal transformation may set in, which propagates with 

 great rapidity all over the metastable metal surface. Wheii this 

 transformation, in which internal equilibrium has been moie or 

 less approached, has taken place, the same phenomenon may 

 repeat itself. I have already pointed out that the negative catalytic 

 influence is probably exerted here by a trace of oxygen dissolved 

 in the metal, which influence can, of course, also be active when 

 no pei'iodic oscillations in the potential difference occur, but a 

 continuous change in the same direction. 



