570. The following result may be given as an illustration of the phenomenon to be investigated. Diluted sulphuric acid, of the specific gravity 1.336, was put into a glass jar, in which was placed also a large platina plate, connected with the negative end of a voltaic battery of forty pairs of four-inch plates, with double coppers, and moderately charged. One of the plates above described (569.) was then connected with the positive extremity, and immersed in the same jar of acid for five minutes, after which it was separated from the battery, washed in distilled water, and introduced through the water of the pneumatic trough into a tube containing the mixture of oxygen and hydrogen (569.). The volume of gases immediately began to lessen, the diminution proceeding more and more rapidly until about 3/4ths of the mixture had disappeared. The upper end of the tube became quite warm, the plate itself so hot that the water boiled as it rose over it; and in less than a minute a cubical inch and a half of the gases were gone, having been combined by the power of the platina, and converted into water.
571. This extraordinary influence acquired by the platina at the positive pole of the pile, is exerted far more readily and effectively on oxygen and hydrogen than on any other mixture of gases that I have tried. One volume of nitrous gas was mixed with a volume of hydrogen, and introduced into a tube with a plate which had been made positive in the dilute sulphuric acid for four minutes (570.). There was no sensible action in an hour: being left for thirty-six hours, there was a diminution of about one-eighth of the whole volume. Action had taken place, but it had been very feeble.
572. A mixture of two volumes of nitrous oxide with one volume of hydrogen was put with a plate similarly prepared into a tube (569. 570.). This also showed no action immediately; but in thirty-six hours nearly a fourth of the whole had disappeared, i.e. about half of a cubic inch. By comparison with another tube containing the same mixture without a plate, it appeared that a part of the diminution was due to solution, and the other part to the power of the platina; but the action had been very slow and feeble.
573. A mixture of one volume olefiant gas and three volumes oxygen was not affected by such a platina plate, even though left together for several days (640. 641.).
574. A mixture of two volumes carbonic oxide and one volume oxygen was also unaffected by the prepared platina plate in several days (645, &c.).
575. A mixture of equal volumes of chlorine and hydrogen was used in several experiments, with plates prepared in a similar manner (570.). Diminution of bulk soon took place; but when after thirty-six hours the experiments were examined, it was found that nearly all the chlorine had disappeared, having been absorbed, principally by the water, and that the original volume of hydrogen remained unchanged. No combination of the gases, therefore, had here taken place.
576. Reverting to the action of the prepared plates on mixtures of oxygen and hydrogen (570.), I found that the power, though gradually diminishing in all cases, could still be retained for a period, varying in its length with circumstances. When tubes containing plates (569.) were supplied with fresh portions of mixed oxygen and hydrogen as the previous portions were condensed, the action was found to continue for above thirty hours, and in some cases slow combination could be observed even after eighty hours; but the continuance of the action greatly depended upon the purity of the gases used (638.).
577. Some plates (569.) were made positive for four minutes in dilute sulphuric acid of specific gravity 1.336: they were rinsed in distilled water, after which two were put into a small bottle and closed up, whilst others were left exposed to the air. The plates preserved in the limited portion of air were found to retain their power after eight days, but those exposed to the atmosphere had lost their force almost entirely in twelve hours, and in some situations, where currents existed, in a much shorter time.
578. Plates were made positive for five minutes in sulphuric acid, specific gravity 1.336. One of these was retained in similar acid for eight minutes after separation from the battery: it then acted on mixed oxygen and hydrogen with apparently undiminished vigour. Others were left in similar acid for forty hours, and some even for eight days, after the electrization, and then acted as well in combining oxygen and hydrogen gas as those which were used immediately after electrization.
579. The effect of a solution of caustic potassa in preserving the platina plates was tried in a similar manner. After being retained in such a solution for forty hours, they acted exceedingly well on oxygen and hydrogen, and one caused such rapid condensation of the gases, that the plate became much heated, and I expected the temperature would have risen to ignition.