If the gas thus ionised be left to itself, in the absence of any
electric field, the ions, yielding to their mutual attraction, must
finally meet, combine, and reconstitute a neutral molecule, thus
returning to their initial condition. The gas in a short while loses
the conductivity which it had acquired; or this is, at least, the
phenomenon at ordinary temperatures. But if the temperature is raised,
the relative speeds of the ions at the moment of impact may be great
enough to render it impossible for the recombination to be produced in
its entirety, and part of the conductivity will remain.
Every element of volume rendered a conductor therefore furnishes, in
an electric field, equal quantities of positive and negative
electricity. If we admit, as mentioned above, that these liberated
quantities are borne by ions each bearing an equal charge, the number
of these ions will be proportional to the quantity of electricity, and
instead of speaking of a quantity of electricity, we could use the
equivalent term of number of ions.
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