Elements of Galvanism, in Theory and Practice: With a Comprehensive View of Its History, from the First Experiments of Galvani to the Present Time. Containing Also, Practical Directions for Constructing the Galvanic Apparatus, and Plain Systematic Instructions for Performing All the Various Experiments ...

Front Cover
J. Murray, 1804 - 472 pages
 

Selected pages

Contents


Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 277 - Egypt: and then it happened, that through all the city, for the space almost of forty days, there were seen horsemen running in the air, in cloth of gold, and armed with lances, like a band of soldiers, and troops of horsemen in array, encountering and running one against another, with shaking of shields, and multitude of pikes, and drawing of swords, and casting of darts, and glittering of golden ornaments, and harness of all sorts.
Page 53 - The gas was collected, and found to be a mixture of hydrogene and oxygene, in the proportion of three parts of the former to one of the latter.
Page 320 - In this instance, there is a combination of one metal and two dissimilar fluids, which combination constitutes a galvanic circle. In the act of drinking, one side of the pewter pot is exposed to the action of the saliva, which moistens the lip, while the other metallic side is in contact with the porter; the...
Page 92 - Having procured a small wire of fine gold, and given it as fine a point as I could, I inserted it into a capillary glass tube; and, after heating the tube so as to make it adhere to the point, and cover it in every part, I gradually ground it down, till, with a pocket lens, I could discern that the point of the gold was exposed.
Page 91 - Leyden jars, for the decomposition of water; but, when I considered that the decomposition must depend on duly proportioning the strength of the charge of electricity to the quantity of water, and that the quantity exposed to its action at the surface of communication depends on the extent of that surface, I hoped that, by reducing the surface of communication, the decomposition of water might be effected by smaller machines, and with less powerful excitation, than have hitherto been used for that...
Page 94 - I observed that each wire gave both oxygen and hydrogen gas, instead of their being formed separately, as by the electric pile. I am inclined to attribute the difference in this respect, to the greater intensity with which it is necessary to employ common electricity ; for, that positive and negative electricity, so excited, have each the same chemical power as they are observed to have in the electric pile, may be ascertained by other means.
Page 93 - ... water, I found that the mere current of electricity would occasion a stream of very small bubbles to rise from the extremity of the gold, although the wire, by which it communicated with the positive, or negative conductor, was placed in absolute contact with them. Hence it appears, that decomposition of water may take place by common electricity, as well as by the electric pile, although no discernible sparks are produced. The appearance of two currents of air may also be imitated, by occasioning...
Page 89 - It would appear, therefore, that ifl the solution of a metal, electricity is evolved during the action of the acid upon it ; and that the formation of hydrogen gas, even in that case, depends on a transition of electricity between the fluid and the metal.
Page 92 - I inserted it into a capillary glass tube; and after heating the tube, so as to make it adhere to the point and cover it in every part, I gradually ground it down, till with a pocket lens, I could discern that the point of the gold was exposed. The success of this method exceeding my expectations I coated several wires in the same manner, and found that when sparks from the conductors before mentioned were made to pass through water by means of a point so guarded, a spark passing to the distance...
Page 93 - There remained a thin film of gold, lining the inner surface of the tube, which, by melting the tube, was converted into a very fine thread of gold, through the substance of the glass. When the extremity of this thread was made the medium of communication through water, I found that the mere current of electricity would occasion a stream of very small bubbles to rise from the extremity of the gold, although the wire, by which it communicated with the positive, or negative conductor, was placed in...

Bibliographic information