‎GAY-LUSSAC et THENARD (MM.)‎
‎Recherches physico-chimiques faites sur la pile, sur la préparation chimique et les propriétés du potassium et du sodium, sur la décomposition de l'acide boracique, sur les acides fluorique, muriatique et muratique oxigéné, sur l'action chimique de la lumière, sur l'analyse végétale et animale, etc -- EDITION ORIGINALE -- 2 VOLUMES (COMPLETE SET)‎

‎P., Deterville, 1811, 2 volumes in 8 reliés en pleine basane, toutes tranches dorées, fers dorés sur les plats (reliures de l'époque), (plats épidermés et frottés avec petits manques de peau en bordure du premier plat au tome 2), T.1 : 15pp., 405pp., T.2 : (2), 443pp., (1pp.), 6 planches dépliantes numérotées 1 à 6‎

Reference : 2313

‎----- EDITION ORIGINALE ---- "Descriptions are given of an improved method for conducting the analysis of organic compounds, a chemical method for the preparation of sodium and potassium and the experiments made with the large battery of the Ecole Polytechnique" ---- "The work of Volta inspired many chemists to investigate the chemical effects of the voltaic pile. Gay-Lussac and Thénard were among this number. They were influenced particularly by the news in the winter of 1807-1808 of Davy's isolation of potassium and sodium by the use of the giant voltaic pile at the Royal Institution. Napoleon ordered the construction of an even larger pile at the Ecole Polytechnique and Gay-Lussac and Thénard were placed in charge of it... Although Davy seems to have exhausted the most obvious possibilities, Gay-Lussac and Thénard's report does contain the suggestion that the rate of decomposition of an electrolyte depends only on the strength of the current (and not, for example, on the size of the electrodes) and they used chemical decomposition as a measure of electric current thirty years before Faraday. The Institute's prize of 3000 francs for work in the field of galvanism was awarded to Davy in December 1807 and to Gay-Lussac and Thénard in December 1809... Gay-Lussac and Thénard's really important contribution stemming from Davy's work was their preparation (announced to the Institute on 7 March 1808) of potassium and sodium in reasonable quantities and by purely chemical means. Davy's method of electrolysis had produced only tiny amounts of the new metals...". (DSB V p. 320) ---- Partington IV**2313/ARM1A‎