276 



ON GALVANIC PHENOMENA. 



separate the groups of two metals, in order to produce a cor± 

 rosion on their surface. But the corrosion operated by pure 

 Corrosion by water not having the effect of producing the shock, I under- 

 sile'to tb* ql "" to °k tne se " es °f experiments beginning by the 15th in the 

 shock, same paper, by which I found, that for the shock, the corro- 



sion of the metals in the pile was to be produced by an acid* 

 These are essential galvanic phenomena, which if Dr. May- 

 cock had undertaken to explain, he would have found the 

 deficiency of his system. 

 Separation «f The second division of the pile led me to discover, that the 

 nd h ""d cause of its electrical excitement is entirely different from 

 effects. that of the production of chemical effects. In this dissection, 



the groups of the two tnetals in contact were separated from 

 each other, on one side by the wet cloth, and on the other by 

 the tripods. In this construction, the electrical excitement 

 was transmitted from group to group; for the electrical 

 motions of the electroscopes at its extremities were very 

 strong, and the gold leaves fell entirely when the extremities 

 were connected together by the glass tubes with water ; but 

 no chemical effect was produced in that water, because the 

 The eorrosioa corrosion was not produced on the surface of both the metals, 

 llPt^Vkj which is the essential cause of those effects, as it occasions 

 a modification in the electric fluid itself. This is a most es- 

 sential circumstance in galvanism ; and as it is thus proved, 

 and will be farther ascertained in the sequel, it must not be 

 forgotten in forming theories on the effect either of the pile, 

 or of the apparatus of troughs. 

 The electrical I return now to the question, whether the electrical effects 



effects pro- produced by the association of two proper metals takes place 

 duced wbile *•■■.,? , , . „ 



^he metals are during their contact, or only at tneir separation, If Dr. 



in contact. Maycock had read my paper in your Journal, No. 119, for 

 August 1810, he would have seen, that the two metals re- 

 maining in contact in my pile produced both electrical and 

 chemical effects ; and that the intensity of these effects was 

 proportional to the number of the groups thus connected. 

 But he doubts whether the course of the electric fluid can be 

 determined in the pile and its circuit ; and he does not even 

 think it necessary to inquire into the cause of the electrical 

 effects, for he says in p. 14 and 15 of his paper in No. 131 : 

 Dr. M. luppe- (i j t k e theory f Dr. Franklin, an electric fluid is supposed 

 «es tbe scat oi J * f r 



" to. 



