318 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



the union of the hydrogen with the oxygen. Grove and Schonbein 

 adopt another explanation, assuming that in the hydrogen element 

 the platinum causes the hydrogen to comhine with the oxygen of 

 the adjacent water-element, and in the oxygen clement the pla- 

 tinum causes the oxygen to comhine with the hydrogen of the next 

 water-element. In this way a motion of the hydrogen and oxygen 

 elements would occur from one side to the other, which would he 

 simultaneous with an electric current. 



As far as this point, the two above-mentioned philosophers agree. 

 But in the following experiment, which may be made with the gas- 

 battery, their opinions differ. If hydrogen be placed in one element 

 over dilute sulphuric acid, and the other be completely filled with 

 this liquid, at the moment of closure of the circuit a feeble current 

 is detected by a multiplier, which emanates from the hydrogen ele- 

 ment but soon disappears. Grove explains this phaenomenon by 

 stating, that the hydrogen which appears in the tube filled with 

 dilute sulphuric acid combines with the small quantity of the oxygen 

 absorbed from the air existing in the liquid, and that the current 

 exists only so long as this is present. Grove also assumes, that the 

 presence of oxygen in one of the tubes is essential to the formation 

 of a current ; Schb'nbein, on the other hand, puts forward the opi- 

 nion, that the formation of the current arises solely from the hydrogen 

 element, and that the oxygen in the other element only plays a pas- 

 sive part. The cessation of the current would in this case be caused 

 by the hydrogen which appears in the element filled with dilute sul- 

 phuric acid, electrically polarizing the platinum in the same manner 

 as occurs in the hydrogen element, whereby a counter-current is set 

 up which must destroy the original one. 



It is evident that this experiment does not decide the question as 

 to which of these views is correct. The author therefore instituted 

 a new one, the result of which is in favour of Schonbein's view. 

 The author filled two of his gas-elements with muriatic instead of 

 dilute sulphuric acid, and filled one of these elements over this acid 

 with oxygen, but in such a manner that the strip of platinum dipped 

 into the muriatic acid. When the two elements were then closed 

 by a multiplier, the needle was quickly deflected, and this to a con- 

 siderably greater extent than when it is deflected under the same 

 circumstances with the use of dilute sulphuric acid and oxygen. 

 The position of the needle was not, however, retained ; it soon re- 

 turned, and in a short time stood at zero. 



The reason why, on thus substituting muriatic for dilute sulphuric 

 acid, a stronger current was set up, is, according to the author, that 

 the muriatic acid is a more easily decomposable liquid than dilute 

 sulphuric acid. If this be the case, then less resistance to the con- 

 duction of the current is present ; it circulates more quickly, and 

 produces a more powerful effect upon the multiplier. But the second 

 circumstance — that the needle returned to zero — is of far more im- 

 portance. The muriatic acid contained no atmospheric air. Muriatic 

 acid gas has so extraordinary an affinity for water, that on taking up 

 this gas the atmospheric air is expelled. Hence in this case the 



