310 Mr. A. Tribe on Electrolysis. [Feb. 17, 



straight line between the copper electrodes. On making contact, silver 

 chloride (resulting from the action of the potassium chloride upon the 

 silver sulphate produced) immediately formed upon those ends of the 

 strips facing the negative pole, and marked B in the figure above, and 

 descended in clouds in a beautiful manner, being apparently attracted, 

 after the lapse of a minute or two, towards the battery-poles. In a few 

 minutes the condition of the other ends of the strips was examined, and 

 on each there was copper distinctly visible. 



The preceding experiments demonstrate that an insulated conductor 

 may, by immersion in any part of an electrolyzing fluid, become endowed 

 with the power of doing work exactly similar in kind to that done by the 

 two battery-electrodes ; may, because, as will be subsequently shown, the 

 working power of the insulated conductor is dependent more or less 

 upon its length, position in the fluid, and conductivity, as well as 

 chemical activity. 



It is well known that the poles or electrodes of a battery are each 

 charged with electricity opposite in kind, but possessed of similar pro- 

 perties to the electricity of friction, though generally much less intense. 

 This being so, were an insulated conductor placed lengthwise, so as to 

 ensure the maximum effect, between the electrodes of a battery, the 

 whole being immersed in air, it is certain that, were our instruments 

 sufficiently delicate to detect it, the end facing the positive electrode 

 would be found charged with negative electricity, whilst the other end, 

 facing the negative electrode, would be found charged with positive 

 electricity. That is, the conductor would become endowed with the 

 power of doing work similar in kind to the two battery-electrodes, just 

 as has been shown to obtain with an insulated conductor placed between 

 the battery-electrodes immersed in a solution of copper sulphate and 

 potassium chloride. 



Now it appears to me that the two actions just mentioned are parallel 

 phenomena ; and if the polarization of the insulated conductor immersed 

 in air be ascribable to induction, the polarization (for such its properties 

 show it to be) of the conductor immersed in an electrolyzing fluid may 

 also be attributed to the same cause. 



Similar phenomena to the former receive, a ready explanation by 

 means of Faraday's theory of the polarization of contiguous particles, 

 a similar hypothesis applied to air and other dielectrics as was thirty- 

 two years previously applied by Grrotthus to what we now term electro- 

 lytes. 



The difference between the two phenomena lies in the fact that a high 

 electric tension is necessary to effect the depolarization of the particles 

 of air by discharge, which, of course, is unaccompanied by decomposition ; 

 whereas only a very low electric tension is required to effect the de- 

 polarization of an electrolyte, which, on the contrary, is always accom- 

 panied by decomposition. 



