the Voltaic disruptive Discharge, 481 
of electricity, and thrown into a state of intense chemical or 
mechanical action ? Matter is undoubtedly detached during 
the disruptive discharge, and this discharge takes its tone 
and colour from the matter employed. Now as this separa- 
tion is effected by electricity, electricity must convey with it 
either the identical quantity of matter with which it is asso- 
ciated, or more or less ; more it can hardly convey, and if less, 
some portion of electricity must pass in an insulated state, 
or unassociated with matter, and some with it. This seemed 
a highly improbable effect, and these considerations, imme- 
diately deducible from Faraday’s researches, led me to 
suppose that the third alternative was most probably the 
true one, and consequently that the quantity of matter de- 
tached by the voltaic disruptive discharge was definite for 
a definite current, or bore a direct equivalent relation to the 
quantity electrolyzed in the liquid portions of the same cir- 
cuit. The difficulties of testing this view by the weight lost, 
being insuperable without incurring an unjustifiable expense, 
led me to have recourse to Experiment 5. Zinc having only 
one oxide which sublimes when deflagrated in air by voltaic 
electricity^ it should follow that if the particles of zinc de- 
tached were the equivalents of the matter electrolyzed in the 
same circuit, the quantity of oxygen absorbed by these parti- 
cles would be exactly equal to that evolved in a voltameter 
placed in the circuit. The experiment presented more dif- 
ficulties than I had at first anticipated : if the intensity of the 
battery was high, I frequently observed the metal, from the 
heat it had acquired, burn independently of the discharge ; 
while if the intensity were lowered, the discharge could not be 
kept up without frequent contacts which gave a gush of gas 
to the voltameter. The following means afforded me the 
must uniform results. Between a positive electrode of distilled 
zinc of such size as to prevent by the cooling effect of its 
mass an independent combustion, and a negative electrode of 
platina, a moderated discharge was taken in a graduated vessel 
filled with atmospheric air : an average of 40 experiments gave 
me 1*17 to 1*00 as the inverse ratio between the volume of 
oxygen evolved in the voltameter, and that absorbed by the 
deflagration, and in several of these experiments the volumes 
were exactly equal. The nature of the experiment defied 
perfect accuracy, but considering a few unavoidable contacts, 
it appears to me to afford strong ground for presumption if 
not for conviction, that the separation of matter in the voltaic 
arc is definite for a definite quantity of electricity, and that 
the all-important law of Faraday is capable of much exten- 
sion. Uniting this view with the experiments of Faraday 
Phil, Mag, S. 3. Vol, 16. No. 105. Jime 1840, 2 K 
