The behaviour of ionic compound crystals under combined chemical and externally applied electrical potential gradients is discussed. Firstly, a systematic overview is given. Then a formal analysis follows. The transport equations of the ions and the electric defects predict that even with reversible electrodes demixing, and in particular decomposition of the compound will occur if the applied d.c. current density is sufficiently high. These predictions are illustrated by appropriate experiments. With the help of the solid solution (Me, Fe)O, where Fe-ions are the dilute species, we investigate experimentally the behaviour of a ternary ionic crystal under a d.c. electric current load. All the compounds were placed in a galvanic cell, and the internal reactions which then could be observed were driven by the electric field in this cell. In addition, we discuss the influence of the electric field on the classical solid state reaction AX+BX=ABX$_2$, if again the reaction couple is placed in a galvanic cell.