VOLTAIC ACTION OF PHOSPHORUS, ETC. 285 



In conclusion, I would say, with regard to the whole of 

 the experiments contained in this paper, that a longer time 

 and more experience may give positive results in cases where 

 I have only obtained negative ones ; it is far from impossible 

 that since curious solid combinations are formed by slow 

 electrical currents, as in the experiments of Crosse and Bec- 

 querel, so novel gaseous or liquid products may be obtained 

 by the long-continued voltaic action of gases and liquids. This 

 time alone can show. 



For previous experiments and theories on the combination 

 of gases by platinum I may refer to Dobereiner's paper, 

 ' Phil. Mag./ Oct. 1823, in which I find he expresses an opinion 

 that it is a voltaic effect ; to the papers of Dulong and The- 

 nard, ' Annales de Chimie,' torn. 23 and 24 ; and to Faraday's 

 ' Experimental Researches/ series 6. The various experi- 

 ments on polarised electrodes of Ritter, Faraday, De la Rive, 

 Becquerel, Matteucci, and Schcenbein are also in point. 



VOLTAIC ACTION OF PHOSPHORUS, SULPHUR, AND 

 HYDROCARBONS. 



Phil. Trans., R.S. Received June 5. Read June 19, 1845. 



IN a paper which was honoured by publication in the ' Philo- 

 sophical Transactions ' for 1 843 I described certain forms of 

 the gas voltaic battery, together with a series of experiments 

 in which different gases were employed as voltaic combi- 

 nations, and the consequent application of voltaism to eudio- 

 metry. 



To ensure confidence in the accuracy of the eudiometric 

 experiments it was essential that the position which I laid 

 down as to the absence of all voltaic action in a combination 

 of oxygen and nitrogen should be rigidly true. I may state 

 with certainty that it is so, but an apparent exception noticed 

 (Experiment 21) in my last paper obtains during the first few 



