27 
some new Objects in Chemical Philosophy. 
On the theory which I have adopted, this circumstance is 
what ought to be expected. Potassium has a much stronger 
affinity for oxygene than sodium ; and must condense it much 
more, and the resulting higher specific gravity of the com- 
bination is a necessary consequence. 
M. Ritter has stated, that of all the metallic substances he 
tried for producing potassium by negative Voltaic electricity, 
tellurium was the only one by which he could not procure it. 
And he states the very curious fact, that when a circuit of 
electricity is completed in water, by means of two surfaces of 
tellurium, oxygene is given off at the positive surface, no 
hydrogene at the negative surface, but a brown powder which 
he regards as a hydruret of tellurium, is formed and separates 
from it ; and he conceives that the reason why tellurium pre- 
vents the metallization of potash is, that it has a stronger 
attraction for hydrogene, than that alkali. 
These circumstances of the action of tellurium upon water, 
are so different from those presented by the action of other 
metals, that they can hardly fail to arrest the attention of 
chemical enquirers. I have made some experiments on the 
subject, and on the action of tellurium on potassium, and I find 
that instead of proving that potassium is a compound of potash 
and hydrogene, they confirm the idea of its being as yet like 
other metals undecompounded. 
When tellurium is made the positive surface in water, oxy- 
gene is given off, when it is made the negative surface, the 
Voltaic power, being from a battery composed of a number of 
plates exceeding 300 ; a purple fluid is seen to separate from 
it, and diffuse itself through the water ; the water gradually 
becomes opaque and turbid, and at last deposits a brown 
E 2 
