ON THE DECOMPOSITION OF THE ALKALIS. ^9 



ne&ia, and borax; and though this was at length supJposed 



to be refuted, as similar grains of metal were obtained 



without either of these, yet I believe in this case an alkali An alkali al- 

 T , 1 ' /. , 1 . ^^^ys present, 



was always present. It must be conressed however, the 



metal produced by the German chemists was extremely dif- 

 ferent from either of the metallic bases of the alkalis lately 

 discovered by Mr. Davy. 



XIII. 



On the Decomposition of the Alkalis. In a Letter from 

 Mr. William Cooke. 



To Mr. NICHOLSON. 

 SIR, JVolverkampton, lOthJuli/i 1808. 



I 



N your excellent Journal for January last, under the 

 head Scientific News, is announced the decomposition of Decomposition 

 the alkalis, by that eminent chemist. Professor Davy ; °f ^^^ ^*'^^'** 

 ■whose very name almost deters one from entertaining a con- 

 trary idea: but the conclusions drawn by him do not appear 

 to me to arise from the facts adduced. Since that time I 

 have turned over your Journal, and other publications, in 

 hopes that some one with more leisure and abilities would 

 have pointed out, not the want of accuracy in his experi- 

 ments, but of clearness in the conclusions drawn therefrom; 

 but not seeing any thing of this kind, I have determined 

 to devote a few minutes from business to offer the following : 

 and if it appear worthy of your notice, it is much at your 

 service, from. 



Sir, 

 Your most obedient servant, 



WILLIAM COOKE. 



In Volume XIX, page 7S, of your Journal, it appears, Moistened al- 



that Mr. Davy made moistened potash, soda, &c. part of a ^^^' f^"^^^ '" 

 . "' . . ^ ' , V j^o, u V7t a j^ galvanic cir- 



galvanic circle, m which situation oxigen gas was evolved, and» cle. 



^ a substance 



