ELECTRIC ORIGIN OF HEAT. 49 



to conduction of the decomposing cell. He then finds that, 

 as in the battery, so in the decomposing cell, the heat pro- 

 duced by resistance to conduction follows the same law as 

 in metal conductors. 



Having described the research which established these 

 remarkable relations, which he has clearly been seeking, he 

 formulates as definite conclusions — 



" ist. That if the electrodes of a galvanic pair of given 

 intensity be connected by any simple conducting body, the total 

 voltaic heat generated by the entire circuit {always provided 

 that no local action occurs in the pair) zvill, ivJiatever may 

 be the resistance to conduction, be proportional to the number 

 of atoms {wliether of water or zinc) concerned in generating 

 that current? 



" 2nd. That the total voltaic heat which is produced by 

 any pair is directly proportional to its intensity, and the 

 number of atoms zvhicJi are electrolized in it," i.e., electrical 

 action. 



" 3rd. That when any voltaic arrangement, whether 

 simple or compound passes a current of electricity through any 

 substance, whether an electrolyte or not, the voltaic heat which 

 is generated in any time is proportional to the number 

 of atoms which are electrolized in each cell of the circuit 

 multiplied by the virtual intensity of the battery? 



He then proceeds — " Berzelius thinks that the light and 

 heat of combustion are produced by the discharge of elec- 

 tricity between the combustible and the oxygen with which 

 it is in the act of combination ; and I am of opinion that 

 the heat arising from this and some other chemical pro- 

 cesses is the consequence of resistance to electric conduction. 

 My experiments on the combustion of zinc turnings in 

 oxygen (which when sufficiently complete I hope to make 

 E 



