Volume 1

Elements of chemistry, in a new systematic order, containing all the modern discoveries. ... / by Mr. Lavoisier. Translated from the French by Robert Kerr.

  • Lavoisier, Antoine Laurent, 1743-1794.
Date:
1802
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Elements of chemistry, in a new systematic order, containing all the modern discoveries. ... / by Mr. Lavoisier. Translated from the French by Robert Kerr. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    95/432 (page 89)
    fixed a fmall morfel of tinder, to which was added about the fixteenth part of a grain of phofphorus ; and, by raifing the bell-glafs a lit- tle, the china cup, with its contents, were intro- duced into the pure air. I know that, by this means, fome common air muft mix with the pure air in the glafs ; but this, when it is done dexteroufly, is fo very trifling, as not to injure the fuccefs of the experiment. This being done, a part of the air was fucked out from the bell- glafs, by means of a fyphon GHI, fo as to raife the mercury within the glafs to EF ; and, to prevent the mercury from getting into the fy- phon, a fmall piece of paper was twifted round its extremity. In fucking out the air, if the motion of the lungs only be ul'ed, we cannot make the mercury rife above an inch or an inch and a half ; but, by properly ufing the mufcles of the mouth, we can, without difficulty, caufe it to rife fix or feven inches. I next took an iron-wire, MN, Plate IV. Fig. 16. properly bent for the purpofe, and ma- king it red-hot in the fire, pafled it through the mercury into the receiver, and brought it in contadd with the fmall piece of phofphorus at- tached to the tinder. The phofphorus inftant- ly took fire, which communicated to the tin- der, and from that to the iron. When the pièces hâve been properly arranged, the whole iron burns, even to the laft particle, throwing out