30 LETTEES OF BEEZELIUS 



Annalen, 1 I will not enter into any further particulars 

 here, but will only say a few words on the apparent 

 cause of the polarization of liquids. 



Since neither the voltaic nor the ordinary chemical 

 theory of galvanism is able to explain this strange 

 phenomenon, I have endeavoured to account for it 

 in the following manner. A current which is too 

 feeble to be able to decompose the hydrochloric acid 

 through which it passes still exerts some influence 

 upon it. In the first place it diminishes the mutual 

 affinity of the component parts of each molecule of 

 acid, though without actually separating them ; and 

 in the second place, such a current arranges all the 

 acid molecules so that their hydrogen is directed 

 towards the negative and their chlorine towards the 

 positive pole. Now, if we assume further that in 

 consequence of a certain inertia of the atoms this 

 condition of the acid does not disappear at once when 

 the current is interrupted, but that the constituent 

 parts of each molecule return only by degrees to 

 their previous condition of intimate connection, then 

 this act of re-combination of the hydrogen and chlorine 

 necessarily must, in accordance with the funda- 

 mental laws of electro-chemistry, produce a current 

 of exactly the kind which I have observed. That is 

 to say, the liquid column which was connected with 

 the negative pole must be positive to that which was 

 connected with the positive pole ; and this condition 

 of electrical polarization must continue until the 

 original equilibrium between the hydrogen and 

 1 Poggend. AnnaL, vol. xlvi. (1839) p. 109. 



