EXPERIMENTS WITH THE ELECTRIC PltE. J77 



The alTertion of Volta, fince repeated by Van Mariim and VoJta, Van 



•nr m X i i ^ • i •. . - i • n Marum, and 



FraiTj that the elecincal pile charges a jar or a batter)- initan- pf^fj-^ fgy, that 

 taneoufly, requires fome limilation. the pile changes 



With rej^ard to common piles, the alTertion is true: but i^oulw.'" 

 the pieces of pafteboard, inftead of being thoroughly wetted. This is true with 

 contain but very little moifture, that of the damp air for ex- p^e^bliTf the 

 ample, the a6tion takes place much more flowly. At firft, in- pafteboards be 

 deed, the adion is M\ tolerably prompt, but in proportion as |h"''3,'";i|J'b"e'^' 

 the pafteboards lofe their moiliure, the adion becomes gradu- charged more 

 ally flower: fo that a pile of fix hundred pairs of zinc and cop- ^^w'y. 



r J • !•,»/•• , .-r ^"<^h a pile of 



per, uled immediately after it was made, was ten or hrteen 600 pairswas lo 



minutes charging a battery of thirty-fix fquare feet to the fame °'^ 15 minutes 

 degree, to which it would have charged it inftantaneoufly, tery of'oe fbet 

 bad it been conftru6led with pieces of pafteboard thoroughly as high as it 

 wetted. Each of the wet ftrata too may be compofed of a Tft'antanSufl'y'' 

 piece of glafs, armed on each fide with wet pafteboard; and with thoroughly 

 fuch a pile of fix hundred pairs would require twelve hours to g^^^te^^'^f"'** 

 charge the battery to the fame degree, as would be done by a glafs armed with 



common pile, with a folution of a fait, in an imperceptible 1^^*?^^^^°^^ , 

 r r ■ -F., 1 /■ , • , • . r ■ , between each pair 



Ipace or time. The law or this retardation therelore is, that of metals, the 



the adion of a pile is more flow, in proportion as it is a worfe *'"^^ ^om\a be 



, „ ' * * protraded to 



conductor. twelve hours. 



Ritter has made a great number of experiments in partlcu- Theadlionofthe 

 lar, which prove, that the ftate of the pile, on all occafions, q|)|^]^ in^p'rcnior- 

 obeys the fame laws, as that produced by the eled^rical ma- tien to its con- 

 chine: but we cannot here enter into particulars, without ex- j^j^j.^"^. ^j^^*^" 

 ceeding the bounds allowable to an abftradl. proved by many- 



It is a well known fad, that eledricity produces the fame "P"'"!'"^' ''^'^ 



■^ » the elettricity or 



cliange in water as galvanifm. Ritter has fliown, thatpofitive the pile obeys the 

 ele(5lricity, like pofitive galvanifm, difengages from it oxiren *^"^^ '*^^ .'^."'* 



, , r o • • r, , T ^,.,. refpeft tokind 



gas; and that negative electricity, like negative galvanilm, dit- as that produced 

 engages from it hidrogen. ^y l}"^^ machine. 



T • • ■ 1 r^- ,-1 -I ,1 I 2* Chemical 



Inquiries into the action or the pile on metals have taught aaion. 



him, that its negative pole difpofes them to combine with ihe Galvanifm and 

 hidrogen of water, as the pofitive pole difpofes them to ^'^'"^-^l.ct^i^tiims 

 bine with oxigen. The hidrogenation has difFerent degrees change in water 5 

 with refpedt to the fame metal, as well as the oxidation, Sil-^j^^^^^'IJ J ^''j" 

 ver With a large quantity of hidrogen aflumes the ftate of gas : tricates from it 

 with a fmaller quantity it remains folid. He alfo found, thai o*'6^"» '"J^« 



' ■' , _ . negatives, hi- 



the eleflricity does not produce oxigenations and hidrogenations dn-gen. 



in the humid way alone, but in the dry way alfo, The oxida- '^1'^ negative 



-rrrxT T -KT polC of thc plIc 



Vol. VIII. — July, 180K N tJon difpofes metals t« 



