Michael Faraday was an experimental genius with unparalleled accomplishments. His inexhaustible thirst for knowledge led him to explore a variety of vital problems in chemistry and physics. He has left a legacy of such splendour that it continues to evoke admiration and awe from every generation. Faraday was ‘not of an age, but for all time’.

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Address for Correspondence
C N R Rao
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre
for Advanced Scientific Research
Bangalore 560064, India.

Faraday and Electrochemical Decomposition

A Q Contractor

Among the many areas of science where Michael Faraday has left his mark, electrochemistry is most recognizably associated with his name through the universal constant, F, named after him. Sir Humphry Davy, who introduced Faraday to the world of science, had been working for sometime on electrolysis and had carried out electrodeposition of potassium from solid potassium hydroxide in 1807. Faraday was fascinated by the effect of various forms of energy (‘force’ as he called it) on chemical/mechanical systems (matter).

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Address for Correspondence
A Q Contractor
Department of Chemistry,
Indian Institute of Technology Powai,
Mumbai 400 076, India.