6o 
Mr. W. Brande's Lecture on some 
exhibited by the flame of the sulphuret of carbon, which is 
directed towards the negative ball, although the sulphureous 
acid visibly passes towards the positive side, and it is fair to 
infer, that the carbonic acid accompanies it. 
An attempt was made to detect the carbonic acid by means 
of caustic potash : for this purpose a piece of linen, moistened 
with the alkaline solution, was applied to each conductor, and 
a current of carbonic acid, issuing from a small tube, was di- 
rected between them. The linen was then put into dilute 
muriatic acid, and it was expected that the effervescence would 
be greatest in that removed from the positive pole; this gene- 
rally appeared to be the case, but I cannot say that the results 
were satisfactorily distinct, nor indeed does the method admit 
of the accuracy required. 
The experiments related in the second section of this lec- 
ture, suggest an explanation of the phenomena alluded to, as 
observed by Mr. Erman, more consonant with the known 
laws of electricity than that which he has suggested. The 
flame, for instance, of oil, wax, &c. must be considered as 
consisting chiefly of those bodies in a state of vapour, and 
their natural electricities being positive, it is obvious, that, 
when connected with \he positive pole of the battery, and with 
a gold leaf electrometer, the leaves will continue to diverge, 
but when applied to the negative pole, that electrical state will 
be annihilated by the inherent positive energy of the flame, 
and consequently the leaves of the negative electrometer will 
not diverge. On the other hand, the flame of phosphorus is 
negatively unipolar. Now it has been shewn, that this flame, 
(owing probably to the rapidity with which it is forming a 
powerful acid by combination with a large portion of oxygen,) 
