Author: James Clerk Maxwell
Publisher: Theclassics.Us
Published: 2013-09
Total Pages: 76
ISBN-13: 9781230448077
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1888 edition. Excerpt: ... one unit of electricity is passed through fused chloride of silver, one electrochemical equivalent of silver appears at the cathode and one electrochemical equivalent of chlorine at the anode, and one electrochemical equivalent of chloride of silver disappears. 119. The electrochemical equivalents of the same substance, as deduced from experiments on different electrolytes which contain it, are consistent with each other. Thus the electrochemical equivalent of chlorine is the same, whether we deduce it from experiments on chloride of silver, or from experiments on hydrochloric acid, and that of silver is the same, whether we deduce it from experiments on chloride of silver, or from experiments on nitrate of silver. These laws of electrolysis were established by Faraday. If they are strictly true the conduction of electricity through an electrolyte is always electrolytic conduction, that is to say, the electric current is always associated with a flow of the components of the electrolyte in opposite directions. Such a flow of the components necessarily involves their appearance in a separate form at the anode and the cathode. To effect this separation a certain electromotive force is required depending on the energy of combination of the electrolyte. Thus the electromotive force of one of Daniell's cells is not sufficient to decompose dilute sulphuric acid. If, therefore, an electrolytic cell, consisting of a vessel of acidulated water, in which two platinum plates are placed as electrodes, is inserted in the circuit of a single Daniell's cell, along with a galvanometer to measure the current, it will be found that though there is a transient current at the instant the circuit is closed, this current rapidly diminishes in intensity, so as...
