466 The Source of Electric Energy . [August, 
there may be no immediate integration. In imperfedt con- 
ductors, as in the electrolytic liquids, it is less vigorously 
resisted, and immediate production of new molecules occurs. 
In good conductors, as in the metals, resistance is greatly 
reduced, and a chemical change, like that in electrolytes, 
may take place with great readiness. And it is not impro- 
bable that the matter which passes from pole to pole may be 
set free as a final resultant of this process of chemical 
change. It is, however, not impossible that in these good 
conductors the neutralisation of the disturbed force may 
take place by a vibratory swing of molecule to molecule, 
each yielding energy to neutralise the disturbed condition of 
the next, without any necessary disintegration. 
The essential point, however, is that there is no aCtual 
passage of energy throughout the circuit at the speed of the 
eleCtric current. The real transfer of energy is compara- 
tively slow, if it exists at all, and the energy which flows 
into one end of the circuit is simply balanced by an equal 
volume of energy which is set free by the molecules at the 
other end of the circuit, or at intermediate points in the 
circuit where the local transfer is resisted. There is, in this 
method of transfer of energy, a close analogy to the aCtion 
of a row of elastic balls, of which, when the first is struck, 
the last starts into motion without any visible disturbance 
of the intermediate ones. The motion here is transferred 
from ball to ball by a series of elastic repulsions, and the 
motion displayed by the last comes from that immediately 
adjoining it, and in no exaCt sense from the first. 
The above hypothesis indicates a close relation between 
chemical change and eledtric adtion. Chemical change takes 
place between heterogeneous molecules, which, at every ap- 
proach, produce this indudtive disturbance in each other. 
Such a disturbance weakens the cohesion of the constituents 
of the molecules. As the molecules approach each other 
the eledtric polarisation increases, and cohesion decreases. 
When very close the cohesion of the elements of the mole- 
cules may give way, and new molecules form in consequence, 
with the produdtion of a new chemical compound. But in 
every such case there must be an eledtric current, through 
the best available condudtor, this being ordinarily the mate- 
rial immediately surrounding the combining elements ; and 
there must be a produdtion of heat at some point in or 
throughout this circuit, in exadt accordance with the energy 
set free in the chemical adtion. 
The process of eledtric condudtion here indicated finds 
significant analogies in certain phenomena of the current. 
