Skip to content

Please be aware that some material may contain words, descriptions or illustrations which will not reflect current scientific understanding and may be considered in today's context inaccurate, unethical, offensive or distressing.

The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Paper, 'Note on the electrodeposition of alloys and on the electromotive forces of metals in cyanide solutions' by Silvanus Phillips Thompson

Reference number: PP/10/47

Date: 1887

Description

Thompson writes: 'It is known that the electrodeposition of such alloys as brass, bronze, and German silver is not practicable from mixed solutions of the sulphates or chlorides of the constituent metals, but can be accomplished by using cyanide solutions or neutral solutions containing cyanide of potassium in excess, thereby apparently departing from the law of Berzelius that out of a solution of mixed metals the least electropositive metal is deposited first.'

Annotations in pencil and ink.

Subject: Chemistry

Received 12 May 1887. Read 16 June 1887. Communicated by George Carey Foster.

A version of this paper was published in volume 42 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'Note on the electrodeposition of alloys and on the electromotive forces of metals in cyanide solutions'.

Reference number
PP/10/47
Earliest possible date
1887
Physical description
Ink and graphite pencil on paper
Page extent
4 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

Silvanus Phillips Thompson

View page for Silvanus Phillips Thompson

Use this record

IIIF manifest

View​ IIIF ​ manifest Opens in new tab

Open in Mirador viewer Opens in new tab

Export this record

Download PDF Opens in new tab

Citation

Silvanus Phillips Thompson, Paper, 'Note on the electrodeposition of alloys and on the electromotive forces of metals in cyanide solutions' by Silvanus Phillips Thompson, 1887, PP/10/47, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/pp_10_47/paper-note-on-the-electrodeposition-of-alloys-and-on-the-electromotive-forces-of-metals-in-cyanide-solutions-by-silvanus-phillips-thompson, accessed on 16 February 2026

Link to this record

https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/pp_10_47/paper-note-on-the-electrodeposition-of-alloys-and-on-the-electromotive-forces-of-metals-in-cyanide-solutions-by-silvanus-phillips-thompson

Embed this record

<iframe src="https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/embed/items/pp_10_47/paper-note-on-the-electrodeposition-of-alloys-and-on-the-electromotive-forces-of-metals-in-cyanide-solutions-by-silvanus-phillips-thompson" title="Paper, 'Note on the electrodeposition of alloys and on the electromotive forces of metals in cyanide solutions' by Silvanus Phillips Thompson" allow="fullscreen" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="500px"></iframe>

Related Publications

Hierarchy

Related Fellows

Explore the collection

  • Proceedings Papers

    The archival collection known as 'Proceedings Papers' is comprised of manuscripts and occasional proofs of scientific papers sent to the Royal Society which were read before meetings of Fellows and printed in full in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

    Dates: 1882 - 1894

    View collection