212 
THE BORDERLAND OF CHEMISTRY AND ELECTRICITY. 
bodies have for each other; this history is somewhat dry but it is im¬ 
portant, and it shows to what a very large extent chemistry took its 
rise in this country. 
If I add sulphuric acid to water a considerable rise in temperature 
takes place, and we become aware that these two bodies have strong 
affinities for each other; knowing this I will pour some sugar and 
water known as syrup into this small glass, and I now add some sul¬ 
phuric acid, and stir with a glass rod so as to intimately mix the two 
solutions ; sugar consists, roughly speaking, of carbon and water; 
the sulphuric acid combines with the water and leaves the carbon, the 
original syrup changing into a semi-solid mass of black carbon or 
charcoal—(making the experiment)—you can all now clearly see that 
chemical action has taken place and a carbon block appears— 
(applause)—this brings us nearer to electricity produced by chemical 
action, for if this carbon is well washed in water, freed from acid con¬ 
tamination, filtered and pressed into a plate, it will be useful as the 
positive pole of a primary battery; so that this very old experiment, 
as old as chemistry itself in all probability, though very seldom shown 
is really one of some importance. 
The production of carbon is generally associated in the common or 
garden mind with the burning of wood, which of course produces heat 
and light, but with the experiment just completed very great heat has 
been developed, but no light. Hence carbon can be produced at a 
heat somewhere about the temperature of boiling-water provided the 
chemicals used are in solution. 
I will now pour some sulphuric acid upon a pile of lump sugar, the 
sugar having, of course, only what is known as the water of crystallisa¬ 
tion in its composition —(making the experiment)—the sugar you will 
notice, is turning a yellow colour, it is now brown, now chocolate, now 
black. The sweetness has gone, its chemical composition has been 
changed, and carbon produced—(applause)—with a solid and a liquid 
mixed at normal temperature great heat has been produced in this 
change, but no light or visible combustion. 
The next experiment is interesting. I have here some powdered 
chlorate of potass lozenges, which as you know, consist of sugar and 
chlorate of potass. I place it on this small dish and to it I add one 
drop of sulphuric acid. The rise of temperature is so immediate and 
so great that it is sufficient to produce visible combustion, that is heat 
and light—(making the experiment)—you see now that the whole 
mass burns, and that the light produced is most intense—(applause) 
—now if I had placed a carbon plate on the top of this burning mass, 
and had connected the plate with a galvanometer, and connected 
the zinc plate upon which the mass was burning also to the galvanom¬ 
eter, the one to the positive and the other to the negative terminal, 
you would have seen the needle of the galvanometer violently agitated 
and rotating rapidly. The heat produced by the chemical action pro¬ 
duces something else, one might say calls it into life or action; that 
‘something else^ being a vibration communicates its vibration to the 
wires attached to the galvanometer, and the vibration assumes visible 
