can aie 
anianthus, and in three days it was in the negative tube. 
Similar refulta were obferved with folutions of copper, lead, 
and tin 
When Mr. Davy made various animal and vegetable fub- 
ftances the conne€ting media inftead of amianthus, he found 
- the elements of the faline bodies which the ey contained 
e transferred. Thus he found that a leaf-ftalk of the 
polyanthus afforded nitric acid in the pofitive tube, and foda 
tn the me rae ; = a piece of mufcular at afforded mu- 
riatic acid an 
The refult of a fe sale appears to fhew, that the 
decompofition of bodies mployed arifes from their different 
elements being attaGed t to the wires or other metallic fub- 
flances connected with the ends of the Galvanic battery. 
When faline bodies are decompofed, the acid is attracted to 
Ef acids or 
nega ativ 
avy fucceeded in producing fimilar refults of tranf- 
pie by common Bo eleCtrical current 
e a 
e€ted with the conductor, and which is pofitive; while the 
inflammable bafes and the bafes of falts were attracted to the 
fide connected with the negative conduCtor 
It had already been difcovered by Bennet and Volta that 
“5 
or negative. 
Bennet found that when two flat ‘polifhed plates, one o 
rae ba the other of copper, were ey 
fa 
metals, and it was on this ae that he ele oued to 
explain the energy of the pile which ag ae and the ef- 
feéts — in the experiments 0 
with much ingenuity a) oe induftry, has« 
ane ae enquiry, by opbferving the eleCtrical changes 
arifing from the conta€t of many different bodies. 
He found that when an alkali was in contaée with a Aga 
the latter gawe fome of its eleAtricity to the former.. But a 
acid in a fimilar fituation gave its agama! to the metal. In 
the firft inftance the metal became negative, and the alkali 
pofitive ; but in the latter the metal was pofitive, and the 
acid negative. It was on this principle that Mr. Davy con- 
ftru Ged a aa wae Sa metal only, by placing an alkali, or 
_ is better t ofanz i on one fide of the plate, 
acid on the ane ide and water haa as at ftratum of 
aika liand aci y this means o e plate was 
negative, and the other fide eons, fimilon S a compound 
plate ae different metals, 
avy made an attempt to eftablith ad nclative 
icp of eleéricity produced by the 
he did not fucceed with any other bodies fe fea 
were perfettly dry. Thofe, however, which he did ek 
were very conclulive, and tended much to fubftantiate the 
‘theory he had projected. 
The folid and dry acids, 
when brought into eonta@ with metals, become themfelres 
either in powder or in cryftals, fufi 
can 
nce infers, that the contact of oxygen and hydrogen mui 
er the hydrogen pofitive, and the oxygen negative. 
It was fai to “conclu de, that when bodies undergo dif- 
ferent changes, with refpet to the fame pace they muft 
produce fome effet on each other. He found dry oxalic 
acid become negative with lime, which it rendered politive : : 
the fame muft neceffarily follow between the acids an 
— 
may infer from this theory, that any two bodies are 
apnea to each other in their electri 
ns as one becomes negative and the other pofitive, when 
they are brought in contact ; that, if we are to reafon 
the common phenomena of eleGtrical attraction and 
strain: for each other. 
duce ange, we may infer that ioe will have no at- 
traétion for each other ; but that if the pofitive or negative 
parts of two bodies, by contaét, be ae ented toone inthefame 
ftate, they muft abfolutely repel each other. All = - 
been fhewn to = the cafe in the se of deco 
as of transfe 
avy (aapotee wi mich plaufiility, that the re- 
lites ftates the . city of bodies 
chemical affinity, spoken and decompofition. 
It appears that bodies which have a ftrong affinity foroxygen, 
are, in their electrical ftates, ftrongly oppofed to that body. It 
alfo happens that acids, which combine with earths, alkalies, 
y fate to the lattcr 
doc- 
negativ ve, and, i 
If, in the Galea aa zine be m 
Pp “ 
combin ven if an acid be p 
ZYSE 
poie es. ¥ —_ belt in a fituation where it beeomes pofitive, 
acquires the power of decompoling water. 
Fr hefe fa an ir eonciufons, Mr. Davy hase 
oimted out a path, which has already led to very important 
difcoveries. The elements of every compound, it is fair to 
conclude, are in different flates of ele&tricity, fo long as they 
exift in combination. If, thetefore, se the noe apph. 
cation of eleétrified furfaces, the elements o mpound 
are more ftrongly and truly attra‘ted by fach frfaes than 
they attra& each other, a decompofition of the body ok 
be effected. And fince this artificial power c 
ie to any extent, we may, with great cou aes expe 
at the ultimate. “elements of bodies may fome t time be 
ee 
fo) 
Mr. Dav avy di a not lofe aaa time in applying ie princi- 
ears he hadalreadylaid down. His firt t was upon 
a fubftance long fufpetted by many chemifts to bea 
com econ’. ial was upon a folution of alkali, 
but without fuccefs: he then tried it ina flate of igneous 
n. The potafh was fufed in a platina fpoon, and was 
conneQed with one fide of a ee battery, while a pie 
ina 
may be the caufe of © *. 
