NICHOLSON, WILLIAM. - THE FIRST ELECTROLYSIS WITH THE VOLTAIC PILE PERFORMED.

Beschreibung des neuen electrichen oder galvanischen Apparats Alexander Volta's, und einiger wichtigen damit angestellten Versuche.

Halle, Rengerschen Buchhandlung, 1800. Without wrappers as published in "Annalen der Physik. Herausgegeben von Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert", Bd. 6, Drittes Stück. The entire issue offered (=Heft 3). Titlepage to vol. 6. Pp. 249-376. Nicholson's paper: pp. 340-359. Light browning. A faint dampstain to upper right corners on some leaves.

First German edition of Nicholson's famous paper in which he, together with his friend Anthony Carlisle, succeeded in breaking up molecules into the constituent atoms of hydrogen and oxygen. They thus established the usefulness of the converse of the voltaic cell, by using electricity to produce chemical actions.

"On March 20 of that year (1820) Volta wrote to Banks, president ofthe Royal Society, informing him of his construction of an electric battery. Nicholson heard of this and with the aid of a friend built his own Voltaic pile by May 2. It was the first in England. Nicholson's great contribution was to place wires attached to the two ends of the pile in water. He found that with the current flowing, bubbles of gaz (hydrogen and oxygen) ere given off. He had "electolyzed" water, breaking up the molecules into the individual elements. He thus reversed the demonstration of Cavendish, that hydrogen and oxygen could unite to form water. This was the first demonstration that an electric current could bring about a chemical reaction - the reverse of olta's demonstration that a chemical action could bring about an electrical current."(Asimov).

Parkinson "Breakthroughs" 1800 C. - Magie "A Source Book in Physics", pp. 431 ff.

Order-nr.: 43624