Ltj Means of Galvanic Electricity. 333 



X. The muriatic acid becomes so much oxygenated at the 

 positive pole that it acquires the faculty or' dissolving the 

 gold coming from the extremity of the conductor wire. The 

 sulphuric and the nitric acids become transparent, and ap^ 

 pear to be so surcharged with oxygen in the part surround- 

 ing that pole, that I think they are capable of producing; 

 effects, when in this state, with which we are not as yet 

 acquainted *. At the negative pole the muriatic disengages 

 a good deal of gas f, the sulphuric acid sends forth a strong 

 sulphureous smell by depositing sulphur, and the nitric acid 

 becomes the nitrous by assuming a blue colour. If the po- 

 sition of the two poles'is afterwards changed, so that the one 

 occupies the place of the other, every particle of the acid 

 returns, by little and little, to its primitive state, and the 

 effects recommence. 



XI. A solution of muriate of tin, traversed by the Gal- 

 vanic current, precipitates, by little and little, a white pow- 

 der, coming from the positive pole. This precipitate, redis- 

 solved in the muriatic acid and then tried with corrosive sub- 

 limate, altered the latter into white, whereas the liquid which 

 had surrounded the negative pole altered it into black. The 

 muriate of tin had thus become more oxygenated at the extre- 

 mity of the wire, which excited the liberation of the oxygen. 



XII. After a long action of the Galvanic eleetrieity upon 

 the sulphate of iron in solution, the latter becomes turbid, 

 assuming a red colour in the part which surrounded the 

 positive pole. We may ascertain that it then contains a 

 strongly oxidated sulphate of oxygenated iron by trying it 

 with the prussiate of potash, which immediately produces 

 a very fine Prussian blue with this part of the liquid, whereas 

 that which surrounds the negative pole only produces with 

 the same prussiate a precipitate of a greenish white colour. 



XIII. The molybdic acid dissolved in the concentrated 



• At this degree of oxygenation the sulphuric acid seems susceptible of 

 dissolving gold ; at least, that which I made use of in this exp« riment assumed 

 a yellow colour in proportion as it dissolved the extremity of the gold wire 

 which liberated the oxygen. On pouring into this sulphate lurton 



ol green sulphate of iron, a precipitate was formed like the mlphurel of gold, 



t It would be interesting to examine it this gas comes partly from the de- 

 composition of the acid. 



sulphuric 



