CHAPTER XI.. _conclusion._

CONCLUSION.

I shall conclude with a general view of the inferences, which I ventured to advance in this essay.

1. Neither the Phlogistians, nor Antiphlogistians, account in a satisfactory manner for the increase of weight, which bodies acquire during combustion.

2. Their account of the formation of water, acids, and oxids, is erroneous; for it has been shown that the oxygen of water alone oxygenates combustible bodies.

3. Combustible bodies, as hydrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, charcoal, light, &c. are capable of reducing the metals in the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere; and indeed I might add, at a much lower temperature, as I frequently experienced.

4. Combustible bodies do not reduce the metals by giving them phlogiston, as the Phlogistians suppose; nor by uniting with, and separating their oxygen, as the Antiphlogistians maintain.

5. Water is essential both to the reduction and oxygenation of bodies, and is always decomposed in these operations.

6. Water does not contribute to metallic reduction merely by dissolving and minutely dividing the particles of metallic salts, and thus removing the impediment opposed to chymical attraction by the attraction of cohesion: for were this the case, metallic solutions in ether and alcohol, in which that impediment is equally removed, should be as readily and effectually reduced, as metallic solutions in water are.

This circumstance, in which all the experiments on metallic reduction detailed in this essay exactly coincide, merits particular attention, and shows that the manner, in which combustible bodies effect the reduction, is the same in them all.

7. When one body is oxygenated, another, at least, is restored at the same time to its combustible state; and v. v. when one body is restored to its combustible state, another at least is at the same time oxygenated.

8. Quantities of air, and water, equal to those decomposed in the different species of combustion, are constantly a forming.

Thus nature, by maintaining this balance of power between combustible and oxygenated bodies, prevents the return of original chaos.

Since then in every act of combustion, one body, at least, is oxygenated, and another restored, at the same time, to its combustible state, the phenomena of combustion may be referred to two heads, viz.

Oxygenation, or the union of oxygen with combustible bodies, and

Reduction, or the restoration of oxygenated bodies to their combustible state.

And since in every instance of combustion water is decomposed, and one body oxygenated by the oxygen of the water, while another is restored to its combustible state by the hydrogen of the same fluid, it follows,

1. That the hydrogen of water is the only substance, that restores bodies to their combustible state.

2. That water is the only source of the oxygen, which oxygenates combustible bodies.

3. That no case of combustion is effected by a single affinity.

This view of combustion may serve to show how nature is always the same, and maintains her equilibrium by preserving the same quantities of air and water on the surface of our globe: for as fast as these are consumed in the various processes of combustion, equal quantities are formed, and rise regenerated like the Phenix from her ashes.

NOMENCLATURE of the Chymical Terms used in this Essay.

NEW NAMES. OLD NAMES.

Ammonia Caustic vol. alkali.

Acetite of lead Sugar of lead.

---------- copper Verdirgris.

Azote Base of phlogisticated air.

Azotic gas Phlogisticated air.

Alkaline sulphure Liver of sulphur.

Alcohol Highly rectified spirit of wine.

Carbone Pure coal.

Carbonic acid Fixed air.

Caloric Heat.

Hydrogen Base of inflammable air.

Hydrogen gas Inflammable air.

Hydrure of sulphur A compound of hydrogen and sulphur.

---------- phosphorus A compound of hydrogen and phosphorus.

Muriate of tin Salt of Jupiter.

---------- silver Luna cornea.

---------- arsenic Arsenic combined with muriatic acid.

---------- zinc Marine salt of zinc.

---------- cobalt Marine salt of cobalt.

Nitric acid Dephlogisticated nitrous acid.

Nitro-muriatic acid Aqua regia.

Nitro-muriate of gold A compound of gold and aqua regia.

---------------- platina A compound of platina and aqua regia.

Nitrate of silver Lunar nitre, crystals of the moon.

------- of mercury Mercurial nitre.

------- of bismuth Nitre of bismuth.

------- of manganese Nitre of manganese.

Oxygen Base of vital air.

Oxygen gas Vital air.

Oxygenated muriate of mercury Corrosive sublimate.

Prussiate of mercury A compound of mercury and prussic acid.

Phosphorated hydrogen gas Phosphoric air.

Potash Caustic vegetable alkali.

Sulphuric ether Vitriolic ether.

Sulphureous acid gas Vol. sulphureous acid.

Sulphurated hydrogen gas Hepatic acid.

Sulphate of copper Blue vitriol.

----------- zinc White ditto.

----------- iron Green ditto.

----------- manganese Vitriol of manganese.

Soda Caustic mineral alkali.

Tartarite of antimony Emetic tartar.

FINIS.

FOOTNOTES:

Essay on Phlogiston, by M. Kirwan, a new edition, p. 21, and 16.

Experiments on Air and Fire. Eng. trans. p. 174.

Essay on Phlogiston, a new edition, p. 38–166.

Essay on Phlogiston, p. 207.

Essay on Phlogiston, p. 205.

Essay on Phlogiston, p. 14.

Essay on Phlogiston, p. 13–15.

Ibid. p. 25. and Philo. Trans. Vol. 78. p. 314.

Scheele, p. 162, French translation.

Roz. Journ. Feb. 1782.

Elective Attractions, English Translation, p. 87.

M. Monnet Dissolution de Metaux, p. 159.

Phil. Trans. Vol. 73. An. 1783.

Essay on Phlogiston, a new Edit, by M. Kirwan, p. 46.

Priestley, Vol. VI. p. 150.

Chem. Essays, Vol. III. p. 219.

M. Kirwan, Phil. Trans. for 1786.

Chem. Essay. Vol. II. p. 206 and 207. Eng. Trans.

Essay on Phlogiston, new Ed. by M. Kirwan, p. 61.

Phil. Trans. 1785. Vol. LXXV. p. 289.

El. Nat. Hist. & Chem. Eng. Trans. in three volumes, p. 163. Vol. I.

Ess. on Phlog. a new Ed. by M. Kirwan, p. 60.

Experiments on Air and Fire, Eng. Trans. p. 82.

Commerce of the Arts.

Elec. Attrac. Eng. Tran. p. 223.

Crell’s Chem. Jour. Vol. II. p. 48. Eng. Trans.

Essay on Phlogiston, new Ed. p. 82.

Ibid. p. 122.

Elec. Attr. Eng. Trans. p. 211.

El. Att. Eng. Trans. p. 213.

Essay on Phlog. new Ed. by Mr. Kirwan, p. 233–235.

Chem. Ess. Vol. II. p. 358. Eng. Trans.

Chem Ess. Vol. II. p. 206–207. Eng. Trans.

Exper. on Air and Fire, Eng. Trans. p. 112, and 130.

Ess. on Phlog. new Ed. by Mr. Kirwan, p. 236, and 237.

Chem. Essays, Vol. II. p. 384, Eng. Trans.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Obvious punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text.

Inconsistent hyphenations have been left as is.

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The original book used the character ſ (long-form s). This has been changed to the modern s in this eBook.

Footnotes have been renumbered consecutively and moved to the end of the text.

Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.

Page 28. “hygrogen” replaced by “hydrogen”. Page 39. Unclear image of potentially “horn” replaced by “both”. Page 48. “theprecipitate” replaced by “the precipitate”. Page 77. “evident manmer” replaced by “evident manner”. Page 84. “CHAPTER III” replaced by “CHAPTER IV”. Page 88. “immediaaely” replaced by “immediately”. Page 106. “is influence” replaced by “its influence”. Page 156. Added full stop after “Exp. 4. Mercury” for consistency.

Errata from the publisher has been applied as described below.

Page viii. “ere long” replaced by “erelong”. Page 15. “particles of reduced gold were observed” replaced by “I observed many particles of reduced gold”. Page 17. Removed 3 duplicated lines of text. Page 137. “or by uniting” replaced by “nor by uniting”. Page 163. “and the caloric” replaced by “the caloric”.