1881.] Prof. D. E. Hughes. Molecular Magnetism. 213 



sufficiently marked to have enabled chemists to differentiate it from 

 associated elements. 



III. " Molecular Magnetism." By Professor D. E. Hughes, 

 F.R.8. Received May 10, 1881. 



During the course of some late researches, which I had the honour 

 to communicate to the Royal Society, March 7th,* and experimentally 

 illustrate on the reading of my second paper, March 31, + many 

 experimental facts occurred, all pointing to the conclusion that 

 ordinary molar magnetism is entirely due to the symmetrical arrange- 

 ment of the polarised molecules, and that these molecules can be rotated 

 by torsion, so as to decrease the longitudinal magnetism, or increase it, 

 if the effect of the elastic torsion is to rotate the molecules into the 

 required longitudinal symmetrical arrangement. And observing that % 

 molecular magnetism could induce an electric current upon its own molar 

 constituents, or that an electric current by its passage through an iron 

 wire would produce molecular magnetism, I have continued these 

 researches in the hope of elucidating, as far as possible, the pheno- 

 menon of the transformation of electricity and magnetism by the 

 changes produced in the molecular structure of its conducting wire. 



For this purpose I have employed three separate methods of investi- 

 gation, each requiring a slightly modified form of apparatus. The 

 first relates to the influence of an elastic torsion upon a magnetic or 

 conducting wire ; the second, to the influence upon the molecular struc- 

 ture of an iron wire of electricity or magnetism ; the third, to the 

 evident movement of the molecules themselves as given out in sonorous 

 vibrations. 



The general details of the apparatus employed having been given 

 in my paper of March 7th, I will only briefly indicate any modification 

 of the method employed. 



1. Influence of an Elastic Torsion upon a Magnetic or an Electric 

 Conducting Wire. 



In my paper of March 7th on " Molecular Electro-Magnetic Induc- 

 tion, " I showed that induced currents of electricity would be induced 

 in an iron wire placed on the axis of a coil through which intermittent 

 currents were passing, and that these currents were produced only 

 when the wire was under the influence of a torsion not passing its 

 limit of elasticity. It became evident that if the intermittent mag- 

 netism induced by the coil produced under torsion intermittent currents 



* " Molecular Electro-Magnetic Induction," " Proc. Roy. Soc," vol. 31, p. 525. 

 f " Permanent Molecular Torsion of Conducting Wires produced by the Passage 

 of an Electric Current," Ibid., vol, 32, p. 25. 



