﻿Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  169 
  

  

  this 
  nature, 
  about 
  the 
  springs 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  

   Yellowstone 
  Lake. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  known, 
  that 
  the 
  Steamboat 
  Springs 
  of 
  

   Nevada, 
  are 
  surrounded 
  by 
  deposits 
  of 
  sinter 
  in 
  the 
  fissures 
  of 
  

   which 
  ore 
  deposition 
  is 
  now 
  taking 
  place, 
  a 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  

   gold 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  these 
  contemporaneous 
  mineral 
  veins.* 
  

   The 
  Mount 
  "Morgan 
  mine 
  is, 
  however, 
  the 
  only 
  hot 
  spring 
  

   deposit 
  known, 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  gold 
  in 
  com- 
  

   mercially 
  valuable 
  quantities. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  hot 
  spring 
  district 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  is 
  

   undoubtedly 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  Park. 
  The 
  variety 
  of 
  

   these 
  springs, 
  and 
  the 
  extensive 
  deposits 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  

   formed, 
  naturally 
  suggests 
  the 
  possible 
  existence 
  of 
  metal- 
  

   liferous 
  deposits. 
  Yet 
  a 
  careful 
  search 
  for 
  such 
  deposits 
  has 
  

   been 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  past 
  eight 
  years, 
  by 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  

   geological 
  survey 
  party, 
  under 
  Mr. 
  Arnold 
  Hague, 
  without 
  

   bringing 
  to 
  light 
  a 
  single 
  case 
  of 
  this 
  sort. 
  Extensive 
  col- 
  

   lections 
  of 
  the 
  hot 
  spring 
  waters 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  hot 
  spring 
  deposits 
  

   have 
  been 
  subjected 
  to 
  most 
  careful 
  analytical 
  examinations 
  in 
  

   the 
  laboratory 
  of 
  the 
  Survey, 
  without 
  finding 
  even 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  

   the 
  precious 
  metals. 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  INTELLIGENCE. 
  

  

  I. 
  Chemistky 
  and 
  Physics. 
  

  

  1. 
  On 
  the 
  Chemistry 
  of 
  the 
  Secondary 
  JBattery. 
  — 
  The 
  phe- 
  

   nomena 
  of 
  charging 
  and 
  discharging 
  a 
  secondary 
  cell 
  are 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  by 
  chemical 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  electrodes 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  electro- 
  

   lyte, 
  attended 
  with 
  an 
  evolution 
  of 
  gas. 
  These 
  phenomena 
  have 
  

   been 
  investigated 
  by 
  Cantor 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  ascertaining 
  

   what 
  these 
  chemical 
  changes 
  are 
  ; 
  the 
  electrodes 
  and 
  the 
  electrolyte 
  

   both 
  being 
  analyzed 
  before 
  and 
  after 
  charging 
  and 
  the 
  oxygen 
  

   and 
  hydrogen 
  given 
  off 
  during 
  the 
  process 
  measured. 
  Some 
  

   difficulty 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  ascertaining 
  directly 
  the 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  

   electrodes 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  indirectly 
  determined 
  by 
  charging 
  

   each 
  plate 
  of 
  the 
  cell 
  separately, 
  using 
  as 
  a 
  second 
  electrode, 
  a 
  

   plate 
  whose 
  chemical 
  constitution 
  remains 
  unaffected. 
  Under 
  

   these 
  conditions 
  any 
  change 
  which 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  electrolyte 
  

   must 
  be 
  due 
  solely 
  to 
  the 
  reaction 
  taking 
  place 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  

   the 
  electrode, 
  including 
  the 
  gas 
  evolved. 
  Since 
  this 
  gas 
  can 
  be 
  

   determined 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  change 
  which 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  

   composition 
  of 
  the 
  electrolyte, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  from 
  these 
  data 
  

   the 
  change 
  taking 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  electrode 
  itself 
  can 
  be 
  ascertained. 
  

   The 
  author's 
  studies 
  thus 
  far 
  have 
  been 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  negative 
  

   plate, 
  this 
  plate 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  sheet 
  of 
  lead 
  coated 
  with 
  a 
  mixture 
  

  

  * 
  Becker, 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Quicksilver 
  deposits, 
  page 
  343. 
  

  

  