ABSTRACT
In the process of electrolysis the positive hydrogen atoms moved from molecule to molecule along the chain until at the end, at the surface of the cathode, they were attracted away and then appeared in the free state in the form of hydrogen gas. The negative atoms of chlorine were supposed to move in a similar manner along the chain in the opposite direction. The laws of electrolysis indicate the relation of electrolytic decomposition to the ordinary chemical doctrine of valency. A molecule of hydrogen chloride, hydrochloric acid, is resolved into 1 part by weight of hydrogen and 3512 parts by weight of chlorine. The theory of electrolytic dissociation is beset with a few difficulties which, however, will probably disappear in time, as a certain proportion of them are due to experimental inaccuracies and to complications which are attributable to the formation of compounds, possessing electrolytic properties, between the dissolved substance and the solvent.
