Experimenls In Galvanic Ele&ricify. 34^. 



eonflruftion of which no alumine was ufed. The column 

 confifted of copper and zinc, ftratified with paper moiftened 

 with brine, and furnifhed, you perceive, a pleafing proba- 

 bility that the Galvanic aftion of the metallic fubftances may 

 one day conduce to the arts of utility; it being capable of 

 furnifliing, when duly employed, genuine foda from the fait 

 of the fea. 



4th, When the Galvanic influence was tranfmitted, by 

 means of two brafs wires, through an aqueous folution of the 

 carbpnat of potafh, both were corroded where thev touched 

 the folution, and both produced or extricated gas. The wire, 

 however, which came from the copper, was manifeftly lefs 

 corroded than the other, though it yielded the largeft pro- 

 portion of gas ; and the phaenomena were not perceptibly 

 changed by fubftituting lime in place of the alkali. 



Both the wires alfo gave gas when they were properly im- 

 merfed in fome other fluids ; but when inferted in the legs 

 of an inverted glafs fyphon, which had been previoully filled 

 with diftilled water, the mode of their aftion was feemingly 

 changed : one was corroded without giving gas, whilll the 

 other gave gas without being corroded ; and thefe phaeno- 

 mena were not interrupted by filling the bend of the fyphon. 

 with mercury. One of the wires was conftantlv corroded 

 without giving gas, and the other gave gas without being 

 corroded, whether the interval between their extremities was 

 filled with pure water alone, or partly with water and partly 

 with mercury. The mercury however muft have wholly 

 precluded the tranfmiffion of oxygen from wire to wire. It 

 feems impoffible for oxygen, in any condition, firft to defcend 

 and then to afcend through a column of a fluid full ten thou- 

 fand times heavier than the air at the level of the ocean. 

 Nothing, except the Galvanic influence, appears to have 

 pafll'd from wire to wire either without or w'thin the fy- 

 phon ; and, if this be admitted, it will fcarcely be affirmed 

 that the corrofion of the wire was a fimple oxydation. 



The Galvanic aftion of various fluids, upon the whole or 

 mod of the oxydablc metals, has lately opened a field of re- 

 fearch, which feems well entitled to perfij^ng attention- 

 l have already projected a fet of experiments, which I truft 



will 



