XIII
EXPERIMENTS ON THE CATHODE DISCHARGE
(Wiedemann's Annalen, 19, pp. 782-816, 1883.)
As sources of electricity for experiments on the cathode
discharge in gases under diminished pressure, induction
machines, induction coils and batteries of many cells have
usually been employed. G. Wiedemann and Rühlmann,
E. Wiedemann and Spottiswoode in many researches preferred
the induction machine; Plücker, Hittorf in his earlier ex-
periments, Goldstein and Crookes used mainly the induction
coil. In addition to the early experiments of Gassiot with
large batteries we have the more recent ones carried out by
Hittorf with his chromic-acid battery, the silver chloride
battery of Warren de la Rue and Müller, and the researches
carried out with it are the most famous of all.¹ It appeared
to me that certain experiments, which are of importance for a
proper understanding of the nature of the cathode discharge,
could only be successfully performed with a battery: I
therefore set up for these experiments a battery of 1000
secondary Planté cells. The battery as set up did not last
well; but it sufficed for carrying out part of the experiments
which I had in mind. These experiments will now be
described.
1 I was first induced to undertake these experiments by conversations which
I had with Dr. E. Goldstein as to the nature of the cathode discharge, which he
had so frequently investigated. My best thanks are due to Dr. Goldstein for
the ready way in which he placed at my disposal his knowledge of the subject
and of its literature while I was carrying out the experiments.