Wells's principles and applications of chemistry; . y apphed in those cases in whichthe connecting wires of a circuit are terminated with strips of platinum, gold,charcoal, or some other good conducting, non-oxydizable substance. 244. Theory of Electro-chemical Decomposition.—Scientific men are not fully agreed upon the explanation of the phenomenonof chemical decomposition by means of the galvanic current. A general ideaof what takes place may perhaps be best gained from what is called thoelectro-chemical theory. According to this, chemical attractions, which wedistinguish by the name of affi
Wells's principles and applications of chemistry; . y apphed in those cases in whichthe connecting wires of a circuit are terminated with strips of platinum, gold,charcoal, or some other good conducting, non-oxydizable substance. 244. Theory of Electro-chemical Decomposition.—Scientific men are not fully agreed upon the explanation of the phenomenonof chemical decomposition by means of the galvanic current. A general ideaof what takes place may perhaps be best gained from what is called thoelectro-chemical theory. According to this, chemical attractions, which wedistinguish by the name of affinity, and electrical attractions depend on thosame cause, acting in one case on atoms, and in the other on masses of mat-ter. Every atom of matter is regarded as charged in respect to all other QiTESTiONS.—^What is the influence of the electric current in producing electro-chemicaldecomposition ? How is this illustrated in the decomposition of water ? What are elec-trodes ? What is the theory of the decomposing action of galvanic electricity ?. ELECTRICITY. 149 atoms, with either positive or negative electricity. In the case of water,liydrogen is the electro-positive element and oxygen the electro-negative ele-ment. It has been already shown that bodies in opposite electrical states areattracted by each other. Hence, when the poles of a galvanic battery areimmersed in water, the negative pole will attract the positive hydrogen, andthe positive pole the negative oxygen. If the attractive force of the twoelectricities generated by the battery is greater than the attractive force whichunites the two elements, oxygen and hydrogen, together in the water, thecompound will be decomposed. Upon the same principle other compoundsubstances may be decomposed, by employing a greater or less amount ofelectricity. In this way Sir Humphrey Davy made the discovery that potash,soda, hme, and othor bodies, were not simple in their nature, as had pre-viously been supposed, but compounds of a m
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