14 ELECTROLYSIS. 



CHAPTER II. 



ELECTROLYTIC LAWS. 



Chemical Action and Electricity Effects of Electricity Electrolysis Clausius' 

 Hypothesis Electrolytic Action of Currents Faraday's Laws Electro- 

 chemical Equivalents Of the Influence of Solutions Of the Influence of 

 the Sizes of the Electrodes Joule's Law Work required in Electrolysis 

 Electromotive Forces Thomson's Law Determination of the Electro- 

 motive Force Electromotive Force required for the Decomposition of 

 Water Remark on the Decomposition of Water by means of a feeble 

 Electromotive Force. 



CHEMICAL ACTION AND ELECTRICITY. Whenever a chemical 

 bath liable to be decomposed is traversed by an electric current, 

 the latter causes the separation of its parts ; and, reciprocally, 

 each time the molecular equilibrium of a body is disturbed by 

 some chemical affinities, there is a production of electricity. 



In a combination, the basic body becomes charged with 

 negative and the acid body with positive electricity. In a 

 decomposition, the reverse takes place, the basic body taking 

 the positive, and the acid body the negative electricity. 



EFFECTS OF ELECTRICITY. Electricity acts by discharges 

 or by current. 



When acting by discharges, it gives rise to gaseous com- 

 binations and decompositions, or to modifications in the pro- 

 perties of simple bodies; for instance, when pure oxygen is 

 submitted to electric effluvia, it is reduced in volume and 

 acquires that peculiar odour which has been called ozone. 



When, acting under the form of a current, electricity 

 passes through certain liquids, it will decompose them into 

 their constituents ; the metals, the bases, and the hydrogen 

 flowing to the negative pole, and the acids and oxygen being 

 liberated at the positive pole. 



Faraday discovered and also formulated the principal laws 

 regulating the chemical actions of electric currents ; to that 



