GAS BATTERY. 267 



observable at the voltameter. If, on the other hand, hydro- 

 gen and water be the only active elements, what becomes of 

 the hydrogen ? If it combine with the water, we undoubtedly 

 should by this means be able to obtain a suboxide of hydro- 

 gen,* a result of which I have not seen the slightest symptom 

 in a long course of experiments on this subject. Even if we 

 assume the action of the oxygen to be a depolarising one, as 

 suggested by Dr. Schcenbein, this comes to the same thing, 

 as this depolarisation can only be accounted for as being 

 effected by the combination of the oxygen with hydrogen ; 

 and we might conversely assume this combination to be the 

 efficient cause of the current, and the depolarisation to take 

 place in the hydrogen tubes. It seems that the effects at 

 both anode and cathode are reciprocally dependent. The 

 matter appears to me so clear that I should not have entered 

 into detail upon it were it not for the published letter of 

 Dr. Schcenbein above mentioned, and that the superiority of 

 the hydrogen is prima facie very striking. Knowing also the 

 fondness with which we all adhere to preconceived opinions, 

 as the consideration of the action of spongy or clean platinum 

 on mixed gases led me to the discovery of the gas battery, I 

 felt that I might be too apt to measure the correctness of my 

 opinions by the success of the experiments to which they led, 

 and therefore hesitated too confidently to rest upon what 

 appeared to my mind positive demonstration. 



Having verified the rationale of the action of the gas 

 battery, I now sought to extend it to other gases, and caused 

 arrangements of ten cells to be charged with such gases as 

 were sufficiently insoluble to remain in the tubes time enough 

 for experimental investigation. In all the following experi- 

 ments, besides the ten cells charged in series, a single cell 

 charged with similar gases and electrolyte was placed by the 

 side, but with the terminals unconnected : thus, when the 

 battery circuit had been closed for some time, by comparing 

 the changes which had taken place in the battery tubes with 

 those in the detached and unconnected pair, the effects due to 



* I see by a recent paper of Dr. Schoenbein that he believes this to be the 

 case. Archives de V Electricite , No. 7, p. 73. 



