After having obtained very strong shocks and large sparks, and effected the decomposition of water, etc., with his first pile consisting of 180 discs of copper, zinc and wet cardboard, he experimented with very thin leaves of the following metals, and found them to burn as follows: Gold, with a bright white light; silver, with a blue light; yellow copper, with a reddish blue light; red copper, with an emerald blue flame; zinc, with a bluish white flame; tin, with a reddish white light, etc. When oxidizing the noble or perfect metals, gold, silver, platinum, in hollow glass spheres, he found them to melt so thoroughly as to completely line the sides of the latter.
Trommsdorff afterward constructed a much larger pile of nearly 600 discs, not doubting that with a larger apparatus he could consume very thick plates. It was while carrying on subsequent experiments that MM. Fourcroy, Vauquelin and Thénard ascertained the fact that metals were more effectively deflagrated by piles with large plates than by piles having a great many plates of smaller surfaces.
In a letter dated Erfurt, March 16, 1801, Trommsdorff alludes to the galvanic decomposition of water spoken of at p. 98 of the “Archives du Nord pour la Physique et la Médecine,” published at Copenhagen, and expresses doubts as to the correctness of the conclusions therein pointed out by Pfaff and Ritter.
References.—“Encycl. Metrop.” (Galvanism), Vol. IV. p. 221; “Roy. Soc. Sci. Papers,” Vol. VI. pp. 45–52; Poggendorff, Vol. II. pp. 1136, 1137; C. H. Wilkinson, “Elem. of Galv.,” London, 1804, Vol. II. pp. 134–136; J. S. Ersch, “Handbuch,” etc., p. 119; L. F. F. Crell, “Chemische Annalen” for 1801; 4e Cah., p. 337; J. B. Van Mons, Journal de Chimie, Vol. I. p. 41; Larousse, “Dict. Univ.,” Vol. XV. p. 535. His pile is described at pp. 253–254, Vol. II of “Hist. du Galvanisme,” P. Sue, aîné, Paris, An. X, 1802, with references to Von Crell’s “Chemische Annalen,” 1801, 4th Book, p. 237, and Van Mons’ “Journal de Chimie,” Vol. I. p. 41.
A.D. 1801.—Libes (Antoine), Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Collège de Beziers and at the Paris Ecole Normale and Lycée Charlemagne, publishes in three volumes, at Paris, his “Traité élémentaire de Physique,” which had been preceded by his “Théorie de l’électricité,” etc., and was followed by a valuable “Dictionnaire de Physique” in 1806 (C. F. V. Delaunay, “Manuel,” etc., Paris, 1809).
In his “Traité,” Prof. Libes dispels the previous generally accepted belief as to the production of electricity by pressure. Experiments made by Æpinus and by Haüy had shown that such minerals as developed positive electricity by friction likewise exhibited the same electricity by pressure, and that those furnishing resinous or negative electricity by pressure developed the same electricity by friction.
It is known that varnished silk (taffetas gommé) acquires resinous electricity by ordinary friction, but Libes found the means of causing it to develop vitreous or positive electricity. This is shown when a metallic disc insulated by a glass handle is pressed upon the silk; the latter will acquire positive electricity while the disc will develop resinous or negative electricity. If, on the contrary, the disc is rubbed or rolled upon the silk so as to produce friction, the silk acquires resinous electricity and the disc vitreous or positive electricity. If a glass plate is substituted for the disc, the silk again acquires vitreous electricity and the glass resinous electricity, that is to say, they both develop contrary electricities to that furnished through ordinary rubbing.
References.—Larousse, “Dict. Univ.,” Vol. X. p. 475; Poggendorff, Vol. I. pp. 1449, 1450; Volpicelli, “Sul cognito fenomeno ...” Roma, 1859; Haüy, “Traité Elémentaire de Physique,” Paris, 1806, Vol. I. pp. 371, 372; A. C. Becquerel, “Expériences ... par la pression,” Paris, 1823; “Catal. of Sci. Papers of Roy. Soc.,” Vol. IV. p. 5; Thos. Thomson, “An Outline of the Sciences of Heat and Electricity,” London and Edinburgh, 1830, p. 482; Dove, p. 229; “Encycl. Brit.,” Vol. VIII, 1855, p. 563; Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Vol. XXII. p. 5; Phil. Mag., Vol. LXII. pp. 204, 263.
A.D. 1801.—Fourcroy (Antoine François de), an eminent French chemist, physician and author, who succeeded Macquer in the professorship at the Jardin du Roi, for which Lavoisier was likewise a candidate, publishes (Vol. XXXIX. p. 103, of the Annales de Chimie) the result of galvanic experiments which he made in conjunction with Louis Nicholas Vauquelin (1763–1829), and also with Baron Louis Jacques Thénard (1777–1857), who, in turn, became the successor of Fourcroy as Professor of Chemistry at the Ecole Polytechnique. They thought that by using many discs they could increase the force of the current and also decompose water more rapidly, but found this was not the case, and that with an enlarged pile the combustion of metallic wires was more rapid and brilliant, thus proving that the degree of combustion is relative to the surface of the plates (“Encyclopædia Britannica,” 1855, Vol. XXI. p. 626).
The grand experiment made conjointly by Fourcroy, Vauquelin and Seguin on the composition of water from its constituent gases was commenced May 13, 1790, and continued by them without intermission until its completion, nine days later. “The gases were fixed in a close vessel by means of electricity, and produced a nearly equal weight of water” (Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc., N. S., Vol. VI. p. 339, giving description of apparatus for the decomposition and recomposition of water).