150 Faraday's Researches to keep it all fluid caused a quicker action on the crucible,, whlcl was soon eaten through, and the experiment stopped. 534. In one experiment of this kind I used borate of leetc (144,, 408). It evolves lead; under the influence of the elecrt:ri< current,, at the anode, and oxygen at the cathode ; and as th< boracic acid is not either directly (144) or incidentally decorn. posed during the operation,, I expected a result dependent 01 the oxide of lead. The borate is not so violent a flux as "tli( oxide, but it requires a higher temperature to make it quit liquid; and if not very hot, the bubbles of oxygen cling to tli' positive electrode, and retard the transfer of electricity. Tli< number for lead came out 101.29, which is so near to 103.5 a to show that the action of the current had been definite. 535. Oxide of bismuth.—I found this substance required to< high a temperature, and acted too powerfully as a flux, to allo'v of any experiment being made on it, without the application, o more time and. care than I could give at present. 536. The ordinary protoxide of antimony, which consists o one proportional of metal and one and a half of oxygen, wa subjected to the action of the electric current in a green-gla-s tube (524), surrounded by a jacket of platina foil, and hea/te< in a charcoal fire. The decomposition began and proceede< very well at first, apparently indicating, according to "th. general law (414, 432), that this substance was one containln. such elements and in such proportions as made it amenable t the power of the electric current. This effect I have alreact; given reasons for supposing may be due to the presence of true protoxide, consisting of single proportionals (431, 4.28' The action soon diminished, and finally ceased, because of "tb formation of a higher oxide of the metal at the positive elec trode. This compound, which was probably the peroxide, bein infusible and insoluble in the protoxide, formed a crystallln crust around the positive electrode; and thus insulating i prevented the transmission of the electricity. Whether, if : had been fusible and still immiscible, it would have decomposec is doubtful, because of its departure from the required compos tion (432). It was a very natural secondary product at "fcr positive electrode (514). On opening the tube it was found tlis a little antimony had been separated at the negative electro