L. Observations on Some Peculiar Properties Acquired by Plates of Platina, Which Have Been Used As the Electrodes of a Voltaic Battery
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Philosophical Magazine Series 3 ISSN: 1941-5966 (Print) 1941-5974 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tphm14 L. Observations on some peculiar properties acquired by plates of platina, which have been used as the electrodes of a voltaic battery Golding Bird M.D. F.L.S. F.G.S. To cite this article: Golding Bird M.D. F.L.S. F.G.S. (1838) L. Observations on some peculiar properties acquired by plates of platina, which have been used as the electrodes of a voltaic battery , Philosophical Magazine Series 3, 13:83, 379-386, DOI: 10.1080/14786443808649597 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14786443808649597 Published online: 01 Jun 2009. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 3 View related articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=3phm20 Download by: [University of California, San Diego] Date: 26 June 2016, At: 07:29 Dr. {3. Bird on certain Properties of Platina Electrodes. 379 tive or negative divergence. The discharge took place in both my cases on a leaf of writing paper moistened with distilled water, which was applied to the inferior plate of the condenser, while another leaf of moist paper covering the upper plate was touched with the fingers in order to make everything alike on both sides with respect to the condenser. The most simple form of the experiment might however be this; that a zinc condenser plate should be immediately touched with the moist fingers, which, as others have already observed, is sufficient to produce a negative shock. I do not say that this experiment is as yet explained agreeably to the contact theory, but as little could any one find in it a proof of the chemical theory. More- over, this may be viewed in connexion with other much more important experiments which promise at least a partial ex- planation of it, of which, however, it is not now my intention to treat. L. Observations on some peculiar Properties acquired b2/ Plates of Platina, which have been used as the Electrodes era Voltaic Batter u. By Gor,nI ~r~ BIRD, M.D.F.L.S. t:. G.8., dyc., Lecturer on Natural Philosoloh2/ at C_vu2l's Hospital. HE influence of platina positive electrodes in effect- T ing the combination of oxygen and hydrogen are well known to philosophers ; some pheenomena which may be pro- bably referred to the same class have lately fallen under my notice, and are interesting from their appearing to prove that metals which have served as electrodes retain a polar state long after connexion with the battery is broken. It was stated some time ago in a philosophical journal that when the platina plates of the ordinary apparatus used tbr ex- hibiting the decomposition of water by voltaic electricity on the lecture table, were placed in conducting communication with a piece of zinc immersed in the acidulated water with which the apparatus was filled, the hydrogen evolved at the surface of one plate was twice the volume of that given off at Downloaded by [University of California, San Diego] at 07:29 26 June 2016 the other. The author of this statement added that he was unable to give any explanation of the fact, nor did he offer any remarks upon it. This ph~enomenon appeared to be of sufficient interest to deserve a more extended examination, and I have had the pleasure of observing several curious facts in connexion with it. Exp. 1. A glass basin was furnished with two equal sized plates of platina passing through its bottom 1 "5 inches apart, each connected by copper wires to a brass cup for holding S80 Dr. G. Bird on certain Pro2erties acquired b9 the mercury; these cups, and the platina plates connected with them, may be called respectively A and B. The basin was filled with dilute sulphuric acid, and a tube full of the same fluid inverted over each plate of platina ; a rod of amalgamated zinc, to one end of which was soldered two thin copper wires, was immersed in the contents of the basin, and the ends of the wires dipped into the cups of mercury A and B, by which the rod became metallically connected with the platina plates. Rapid decomposition of water instantly commenced, bubbles of hydrogen being evolved from the platina surfaces: in five minutes the tubes were examined, and instead of the gas col- lected being in equal volume in either tube, as would d Triori be expected, I found, as stated by the original observer, that one contained nearly twice as much as the other. Upon reflecting on this experiment, I suspected that as the apparatus had been employed as a volta-electrometer a short time previously, the platina plates might have assumed and retained some peculiar state from their connexion with the battery. Exp. 2. The basin filled with the dilute acid was connected with a battery of six alternations of zinc and copper, separated by jars of porous earthenware and excited by sulphate of copper and sulphate of soda; the cup A was connected with the negative, and B with the positive wire : decomposition of water was allowed to proceed for a few minutes, contact was then broken with the battery; the tubes filled with dilated acid were inverted over the respective plates and the amal- gamated zinc immersed in the acid, its wires dipping into A and B. Hydrogen was copiously evolved at the surfaces of the platina, and in 10 minutes the zinc was removed. In the tube over the plate Awas collected 1" inch hydrogen. B 2'15 --~ During the evolution of gas, the difference in the appear- ance of the bubbles from the two plates was remarkable: those from the plate B were large, rose rapidly to the top of the tube, and were given off from isolated points of the electrode ; Downloaded by [University of California, San Diego] at 07:29 26 June 2016 whilst those from A were small, rose much slow~er in the tube, and were given off from every part of the plate, re- sembling the bubbles of oxygen evolved in the voltaic decom- position of water. It is remarkable that the platina plate (A), which when in connexion with the battery gave off tbe great- est volume of gas, (hydrogen) now evolved the smallest, and that (B), which had evolved the smallest (oxygen), now gave off twice the volume of the other. It is needless to state that the gas in both tubes was hydrogen. Exp. 3. Tile apparatus was refilled, again connected with Platina Electrodes of a Voltaic Ballerzj. 881 the battery, the plate A to the positive and B to the negative for a few minutes; ttle connexions being broken, the zinc rod was immersed as in the last experiment, its wires dipping into the cups A and B ; hydrogen was again evolved and collected in the tubes. In that over the plate A was found 2"1 B 1"o These experiments clearly pointed out, that the cause of the difference in volume of evolved hydrogen was to be sought in some change produced by connexion with the battery; what that change consisted in was less obvious. I suspected that a polar state might probably have been communicated to the electrodes by the passage of the battery current. Exp. 4. The cups A and B were again connected with the battery, A with the negative, B with the positive wire for a few minutes; the connexions were then broken, and a galvano- meter of very delicate construction connected with the cups. The needles instantly deviated with considerable velocity to fl0 ° ; the connexion was broken, and in 1 minute renewed with the galvanometer; the needles deviated to the same amount but with less velocity. In 3 minutes, contact being again made, a deviation of" 85 ° ensued, and in 13 minutes the ex- periment was repeated and a deviation of only 4 ° took place. Exp. 5. The cup A was connected with the positive and B with the negative side of the battery during 8 minutes, and then the connexion was broken. On dippingthe galvanometer wires into A and B, deviation of the needles to 90 ° ensued as in the last experiment, but in the opposite direction. In both experiments, that platina plate which had been in connexion with the negative side of the battery and had then evolved hydrogen, appeared to be positive, deviating the gal- vanometer needles in the same direetion as a piece of zinc. The galvanometer made use of was extremely sensible, with light and nearly astatic needles suspended by a few fibres of unspun silk: the coil consisted of' about 600 convolutions of well mmealed and insulated copper wire wound on a frame Downloaded by [University of California, San Diego] at 07:29 26 June 2016 on Nervander's construction. The frame being moveable on its axis could be brought into any position with regard to the needles. The temporary polar condition assumed by platina elec- trodes after connexion with the battery has been before pointed out by De la Rive and other physicists, a rationale has also been proposed for it by Becquerel (Traitd de l'Elec- tricite, &c. 3. 109). This philosopher has only mentioned the case when the electrodes have been immersed in a saline solution, and after the contact with the battery is broken, con- 382 Dr. G. Bird on eertaln Propertles acquired b9 the nexion made with the galvanometer; the deviation of the needles produced he attributes to minute films of aeid and alkali adhering to the electrodes, combining to re-form the salt electrolyzed by the previous passage of the battery cur- rent, and thus give rise to a weak secondary current in a di- rection the reverse of that of the battery.