On some Chemical Jgencies of Electricltij, 1 5 



drilled in two jiicces, properly shaped ; they contained about 

 twelve gains of water each; they were connected by nio;st- 

 ened amianthus, and the process condneted, as usual, with 

 a power of fifty pairs of plates. At the end of ten hours the 

 result was examined with care. The fluid that had been 

 positively electrified had the strong smell of oxymuriatic 

 acid, and copiously precipitated nitrate of silver; the other 

 portion of fluid aflfected turmeric, and left by evaporation a 

 substance which seemed to be a mixture of lime an.d soda. 



A part of a specimen of compact zeolite, from the Giant's 

 Causeway, which by analysis had given seven parts in 100 

 of soda, had a small cavity made in it : it was innncrged iii 

 pure water in a crucible of platina, and_ electrified in the 

 same manner as the cube of Carrara marble, mentioned in 

 page 9. In less than two minutes the water in the cavity 

 had gained the property of changing the colour of turmeric, 

 and in half an hour the solution was disagreeably alkaline to 

 the taste. The matter dissolved proved to be soda and lime. 

 Lepidolite, treated in the same way, gave potash. 

 A piece of vitreous lava, from ^tna, gave alkaline mat- 

 ter, which seemed to be a mixture of soda, potash, and 

 lime. 



As in these trials the object was merely to ascertain the 

 general fact of decomposition, the process was never con- 

 ducted for a sufficient time to develop a quantity of alkaline 

 matter capable of being conveniently weighed, and of course 

 any loss of weight of the substance could not be determined. 

 I thouiiht it right, however, to make one experiment of 

 this kind, for the sake of removing every possibility of doubt 

 on the source of the different products; and I selected for 

 this purpose glass, as a substance apparently insoluble in 

 water, and not likely to afford in any way erroneous results. 

 The balance that I employed was made for the Royal In- 

 stitution, by Mr. Fidlcr, after the model of that belonging 

 to the. Royal Society : it turns readily with -,',„- of a grain, 

 when loaded with lOO grains on each side ; a glass tube with 

 a platina wire attached, weighing 6-1 grains -,^/'^-, was con- 

 nected with an agate cup by amianthus ; they were filled 

 with purified water, and electrified by a power from 150 



pairs 



