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LI. Memoir* upon the Decomposition of Water, and of 

 the Bodies ft/kick it holds in Solution, by means of Gal- 

 vanic Electricity. By C. 1. T. de Grotthius f. 



Chap. I. 



Action of Galvanic Electricity upon certain Bodies dissolved 



in Water. 



I. W ithout wasting time on the discussion of the mul- 

 titude of imaginary hypotheses invented to explain the de- 

 composition of water by the electrometer apparatus, I shall 

 give a general theory of the decomposition of liquids by 

 Galvanic electricity, which, in my opinion, brings the ef-. 

 fects of the latter to a simple and satisfactory explanation. 

 I was led to this theory by the following observations: 



II. When a current of Galvanic electricity is made to 

 pass through a saturated metallic solution, the intensity of 

 this current being proportioned to the interval occupied by 

 the liquid, and comprised between the extremities of the 

 two conductor wires, interesting phenomena are discovered 

 even by an observer who does not trouble himself to inves- 

 tigate the cause. At the extremity of the wire in contact 

 with the disk of zinc, oxygen is disengaged ; while at the 

 extremity of the wire in contact with the disk of copper, 

 the molecules of the metal in solution are revived, assuming 

 a symmetrical arrangement, which extends in the direction 

 of the Galvanic current. 



III. This arrangement is nothing else than an imperfect 

 crystallization of metallic, molecules, exactly similar to that 

 known by the name of arlorisation, and which takes place 

 upon precipitating metals in solution by other metals. The 

 old chemists added to the word arbor the name of the deity 

 to whom the metal was consecrated. Thence come the old 

 names of arbor Diance, arbor Martis, arbor VenerU, 8cc. Of 

 all the phsenomena presented to us by Galvanism, no one 



* From Annates de Cliimie, torn, lviii. p. 54. 



f This memoir was printed at Rome in 1805. We presume the perusal of 

 it here will give pleasure to our readers, as the author himself has also re- 

 quested us to reprint it. — Xote of French editor. 



is 



