On some Chemical Agencies of Ehctncily. Q 



scribed: in iess than two minutes it? effects were evident ; 

 and in five minutes the tint of the paper was changed to a 

 bright brown. 



I now conceived that, by collecting the water obtained in 

 the second process of slow distillation, I should be able to 

 carry on the experiment without any appearance of fixed 

 alkali ; and ihe trial proved that I was not mistaken. 



Some of this water was introduced into the gold tubes, 

 and the amianthus moistened bv it. 



After two hours the water in the negative tube produced 

 no effect upon turmeric paper; it did produce an effect upon 

 litmus, which it required great minuteness of observation 

 to perceive; but it wholly lost the power by being heated 

 strongly for two or three minutes, so there is every reason 

 for supposing that it was owing to a small quantity of am- 

 monia. ^ 



I made a similar experiment with a portion of the same 

 water in tiie tubes of agate that had been so often used, and 

 J had the pleasure of finding the results precisely the same. 



To detail any more operations of this kind will be unne- 

 cessary ; all the facts prove that the fi^ed alkali is not gene- 

 rated, but evolved, either from the solid malenals employed, 

 or from salaie matterJn ttie water. 



I have made many experiments in vessels composed of 

 different substances, with the water procured l)y very sloa' 

 distillation ; and in almost every instance some fixed alkali 

 appeared. 



In tubes of wax the alkaline matter was a mixture of soda 

 and potash ; and the acid iiiattcr a mixture of sulphuric, 

 nniriatjc, and nitric acids. 



In a tube of rcsia llie alkaline matter seemed to be prin- 

 cipally potash. 



A cube of Carrara marble of about an inch, having an 

 aperture in its centre, was placed in a crucible of platina, 

 which wai filled as high as the upper surface of the cube 

 with the purified water; the aperture was filled with the same 

 fluid : tiic crucible was positively electrified by a strong Vol- 

 taic power, and a negatively electrified wire introduced into 

 the a])crlure. 



