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 XLIII. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



RESEARCHES ON THE ELECTRICITY OF THE AIR AND THE EARTH, 

 AND ON THE CHEMICAL EFFECTS PRODUCED BY SLOW ACTIONS, 

 WITH OR WITHOUT THE CONCOURSE OF ELECTRICAL FORCES. 

 BY M. BECQUEREL. 



r'^IRST PART. On the Electrical State of Gases and Vapours.— TYiQ 

 fundamental principle which must serve as a guide in researches 

 relating to the natural sources of electricity, as also to its other 

 sources, is this : — Every mechanical, physical, or chemical work dis- 

 engages electricity ; in other words, the equilibrium of the molecules 

 cannot be disturbed without that of the electricity being so likewise. 

 On the other hand, electricity cannot be set in motion without there 

 being a manifestation of molecular actions, betraying themselves by 

 an elevation of temperature, a chemical decomposition, or magnetic 

 actions. 



All combustible bodies which are conductors of electricity disen- 

 gage electricity during their combustion : the combustible body sets 

 free negative electricity, the comburant body sets free positive electri- 

 city; this fact has been placed beyond a doubt by M. Pouillet as 

 regards charcoal. In this memoir I show that the effects are the 

 same whether the bodies are conductors or non-conductors of elec- 

 tricity. 



The change of the state of bodies and evaporation, properly so 

 called, do not furnish electricity, as was long ago observed. This 

 negative result seems to imply a contradiction to the principle indi- 

 cated above, namely, that the equilibrium of the electrical forces is 

 disturbed whenever a molecular operation is produced. Why are 

 there no electrical effects in these cases ? Would not something 

 take place similar to what occurs in the uniform friction of two 

 similar bodies against each other ? There is no electricity, because 

 we see no reason why one molecule should take one electricity rather 

 than another. But if no electricity is evolved, there is a production 

 of heat. On the other hand, we know that the friction between two 

 similar bodies is more energetic than when they are dissimilar. We 

 also know that changes of state are accompanied by powerful calorific 

 effects ; and besides, there appears to exist a dependence of such a 

 nature between the production of heat and that of electricity, that 

 when one increases, the other diminishes, and vice versd, so that one 

 may disappear with the increase of the other. Some examples will 

 furnish a proof of this. When electricity circulates in a metal wire, 

 the greater the heat produced, the less the quantity of electricity 

 passed, and vice versd; things therefore go on as though the elec- 

 tricity were converted into heat. When we collect the heat produced 

 in an amalgamated couple of copper and zinc in a closed circuit, we 

 find that the sura of heat produced in the chemical action of the 

 acidulated water upon the zinc and in the conducting wire is constant, 

 so that the quantity of heat disengaged in the reaction is greater in 

 proportion as less electricity passes in the wire, and vice versd. 



