Aluminium as an Electrode in Cells. 329 



The mean value we have found for the susceptibility of liquid 

 oxygen is 324 x 10~ 6 , and many of our values for it are exactly 

 314 Xl0- 6 . 



It seems therefore possible that for paramagnetic bodies over wide 

 limits of density and temperature we may find that the magnetic 

 susceptibility varies directly as the density and inversely as the 

 absolute temperature. 



We desire to add that our thanks are due to Mr. J. E. Petavel 

 and Mr. J. T. Morris, for their assistance in carefully carrying out 

 the tedious work of the ballistic observations, necessary to determine 

 the field of the electro-magnet we have used. 



" Aluminium as an Electrode in Cells for Direct and Alternate 

 Currents." By E. WILSON. Communicated by Dr. J. HOP- 

 KINSON, F.R.S. Received May 11, Read May 26, 1898. 



This paper deals with the apparent great resistance which alumi- 

 nium offers to the passage of an electric current when used as an 

 anode in cells containing, for instance, such an electrolyte as alum in 

 water. The following are references to papers which deal in whole 

 or in part with this or other properties of aluminium when employed 

 as an electrode in electric cells. 



Wheatstone. ' Eoy. Soc. Proc.' Read April 26, 1855. This is the 

 earliest paper I have found dealing with the metal aluminium in 

 voltaic cells, but Wheatstone does not appear to have noticed the 

 apparent great resistance mentioned above. 



Heeren. ' Mittheil. des Gewerbevereins fur Hannover,' Jahrg. 

 1855, p. 342. Reference is made in this paper to Wheatstone's 

 experiments. 



Buff. ' Liebig's Annalen,' 1857, vol. 102, p. 269. The author of 

 this paper points out that nine Bunsen elements were not able to 

 pass a current through a cell having aluminium as an electrode. 

 This is the first mention of this property I can find. 



Ducretet. ' Comptes Rendus,' 1875, vol. 80, p. 280 ; also ' Journ. 

 de Phys.,' 1875, vol. 4, p. 84. Observed great resistance in dilute 

 sulphuric acid due to aluminium plate. 



Beetz. ' Wied. Ann.,' 1877, vol. 2, p. 94. Supposes oxygen to be 

 the cause of this apparent high resistance. 



Winkelmann. ' Wied Ann.,' 1883, vol. 20, p. 91. 



Wright and C. Thompson. ' Phil. Mag.,' 1885, Part 9, Series 5, 

 vol. 19, pp. 27, 116, 203. Call attention to the non-compliance of 

 aluminium with thermochemical data. Reference is made to the 

 work of Julius Thomsen. 



2 B 2 



