DECOMPOtlTION OF WATBS BT GALVANISM. 



187 



It now occurred to me, that every interruption of the Every inter- 

 circuit would afford a positive and a negative point ; and *"P''0" of »*>« 

 , . o J •• -It ,.^ circuit affords 



that a series ot decompositions might be procured, by fol- a poiitive an^ 



lowing out the same arrangements in a succession of re- "fpt>'« po>n*' 



ceivers. I therefore constructed an apparatus first with 



four interruptions in the circuit, and afterwards another with 



six, fig. 5 ; and in both cases, I obtained in each receiver, 



the elements of water in the proper proportions, in which 



they combine to form this fluid. The positive and negative 



points are marked in order. 



Though these experiments were perfectly decisive with Anexperi- 

 regard to the effect produced by the connecting wire, and Murray's re. 

 sufficiently calculated to unfold the real nature of the de- peated. 

 composition, to which it was subservient, 1 could not rest 

 satisfied, till I had repeated an experiment, which Mr. 

 Murray seems to adduce in confirmation of the imaginary 

 transmission. I say, seems to adduce, for the experiment 

 is stated with so little precision (considering the usual ac- 

 curacy of this excellent chemist), that it is difficult to disco- 

 ver the real object, for which it is brought forward. After 

 mentioning the experiment of Ritter, and adopting the 

 conclusion which he deduced from it, he adds—** I have Decomposi- 

 *' found, too, that if a portion of quicksilver be interposed !'°" of ^ater 

 ** between two portions of water, (which can be easily done vesselswith 



«* by fiUine the bent part of a siphon with quicksilver, and q^'cksilvcr 

 . •.,» ,•• , interposed, 



♦* puttmg water into each leg) on placing wires connected 



** with a galvanic trough in the separate portions of water, 



•' gas arises from each wire* ", In orderto repeat theexpe- 



rimentof Mr. Murray, I constructed an apparatus, such as I 



have represented at fig. 6. pabn represents the bent siphon, 



theopposite ends being introduced through two glass capsules, 



A, B, to which they were hermetically sealed at the bottom, 



d^e. Having filled the capsules and the bent siphon with 



water, I inverted over the extremities of the siphon two 



small receivers filled with water, through the ends of which 



1 had previously passed the gold wires N «, P p, and to which 



they were sealed by melting the glass. I then connected 



the wire N n with the upper side of the battery, and Pp 



• Murray's C^emictry. tel. I, p. 558. 



with 



