Page:Experimental researches in electricity.djvu/344

318 beyond a certain quantity, for instance, 1, 10, 100, and even 1000 times its volume. By immersing an iron wire in nitric acid of sp. gr. 1.5 it becomes likewise indifferent to the same acid of 1.35.

But by far the most curious fact observed by me is, that any number of iron wires may be made indifferent to nitric acid by the following means. An iron wire with one of its ends oxidised is made to touch another common iron wire; both are then introduced into nitric acid of sp. gr. 1.35, so as to immerse the oxidised end of the one wire first into the fluid, and have part of both wires above the level of the acid. Under these circumstances no chemical action upon the wires will take place, for the second wire is, of course, but a continuation of that provided with an oxidised end. But no action occurs, even after the wires have been separated from each other. If the second wire having become indifferent be now taken out of the acid and made to touch at any of its parts not having been immersed a third wire, and both again introduced into the acid so as to make that part of the second wire which had previously been in the fluid enter first, neither of the wires will be acted upon either during their contact or after their separation. In this manner the third wire can make indifferent or passive a fourth one, and so on.

Another fact, which has as yet, as far as I know, not been observed, is the following one. A wire made indifferent by any of the means before mentioned is immersed in nitric acid of sp. gr. 1.35, so as to have a considerable part of it remaining out of the fluid; another common wire is put into the same acid, likewise having one of its ends rising above the level of the fluid. The part immersed of this wire will, of course, be acted upon in a lively manner. If the ends of the wires which are out of the acid be now made to touch one another, the indifferent wire will instantly be turned into an active one, whatever may be the lengths of the parts of the wires not immersed. [If there is any instance of chemical affinity being transmitted in the form of a current by means of conducting bodies, I think the fact just stated may be considered as such.] It is a matter of course that direct contact between the two wires in question is not an indispensably necessary condition for communicating chemical activity from the active wire to the passive one; for any metal connecting the two ends of the wires renders the same service.

Before passing to another subject, I must mention a fact