70 Mr. H. Wilde on the Indefinite Quantitative 



by a single voltaic cell, or by quantities of magnetism 

 indefinitely small, yet, the action of a Daniell's cell on an 

 extended series of electrolytic cells was so comprehensive, 

 and, at the same time, suggestive of inquiry into the mode 

 by which electricity is propagated through liquids, that I 

 thought it would well serve as an illustration in support of 

 the principle enunciated in my paper. 



That the principle of indefinite electrolysis holds good 

 in an extended series of copper-sulphate cells in connexion 

 with a single voltaic cell is demonstrated by the following 

 experiment. 



Fifty test tubes were placed in series and filled with a' 

 solution of copper-sulphate. Electrodes of thick copper 

 wire were bent into a U form with the legs immersed 

 in adjoining tubes. When a Daniell's cell was placed 

 in the circuit (in which was included a galvanometer), 

 a constant current of 32 was established through the 

 series of cells for a period of thirty minutes. Now, by the 

 law of definite electrolysis, it is obvious that an equal 

 amount of copper would be deposited in the Daniell's cell 

 and in each of the copper-sulphate cells during the time 

 the current was transmitted. Consequently, we have fifty 

 times as much copper deposited in the series collectively 

 as is deposited in the single Daniell's cell. 



There is no reason to doubt that the current from a 

 single voltaic cell would be transmitted through a much 

 more extended series of cells than those experimented 

 with, but enough has been shown to confirm the truth of 

 the principle of indefinite electrolysis in a number of 

 electrolytic cells. 



An interesting relation between the law of chemical 

 combination in indefinite multiple proportions, and the 

 principle of indefinite multiple electrolysis, is seen in the 

 organic series C n H„, in which the multiple combining 

 numbers exceed the experimental series of 50 electrolytic 



