Part 17

COMBUSTION OF IRON IN OXYGEN GAS.

Twist a piece of fine iron wire, such as is used by piano-forte makers, round a cylindrically-shaped piece of wood or metal, which will give it a spiral form; or a broken watch-spring, which may be bought for a trifle of the watch-makers, will answer the same purpose. Fasten round one end of it some waxed cotton thread or twine, and attach the other end to a cork, which fits a glass jar or bottle, that will hold a quart, filled with oxygen gas. Having made the wire red-hot by setting light to the thread, plunge it into the bottle. Do not cork the bottle, but let the cork merely lay on the mouth, and to prevent its being burned, a small a piece of lead should be fastened to the bottom of it. The iron will instantly begin to burn with great brilliancy, throwing out luminous scintillations.

To prevent the bottle from being broken by the sparks, a small quantity of sand should be previously poured into it.

GLOW-WORM IN OXYGEN GAS.

If a glow-worm be placed in a jar of oxygen gas, in a dark room, it will shine with a far surpassing brilliancy to that which it exhibits in atmospheric air.

LUMINOUS CHARCOAL.

Attach a small piece of charcoal to the end of a copper-wire; make it red-hot, and immerse it in a jar of oxygen gas. The charcoal will burn with great brilliance, throwing out splendid scintillations. The bark of the wood converted into charcoal must be selected, otherwise there will be no scintillations.

BRILLIANT COMBUSTION IN OXYGEN.

Place in a bottle of oxygen gas a lighted taper, and it will burn with a flame of increased brilliancy.

Extinguish the taper immediately; put it into the same or another bottle of oxygen, and it will be again lighted provided a spark remain on the wick.

Bend a piece of iron wire in a spiral form, and tie on to one end some cotton or flax; sprinkle some flour of sulphur on it, set it on fire, dip it into a bottle of oxygen gas, and beautiful corruscations will be thrown off the wire.

FLAME FROM COLD METALS.

Provide a bottle of the gas chlorine, which may be purchased of any operative chemist, and with it you may exhibit some brilliant experiments.

For example, reduce a small piece of the metal antimony to a very fine power in a mortar; place some of this on a bent card, then loosen the stopper of the bottle of chlorine, and throw in the antimony, it will take fire spontaneously, and burn with much splendour; thus exhibiting a cold metal spontaneously bursting into flame.

If, however, a lump of antimony be dropped into the chlorine, there will be no spontaneous combustion, nor immediate change: but, in the course of time, the antimony will become incrusted with a white powder, and no chlorine will be found in the bottle.

Or, provide copper in fine leaves, known as “Dutch metal;” slightly breathe on one end of a glass rod, about ten inches long, and cause one or two leaves of the metal to adhere to the damp end; then open a bottle of chlorine, quickly plunge in the leaves, when they will instantly take fire, and burn with a fine red light, leaving in the bottle a greenish-yellow solid substance.

A small lump of copper, or “Dutch metal,” will not burn as above, but will be slowly acted upon, like the antimony.

Immerse gold leaf in a jar of chlorine gas, and combustion with a beautiful green flame will take place.

PHOSPHORUS IN CHLORINE.

Put into a deflagrating spoon about four grains of phosphorus, and let it down into a bottle of chlorine, when the phosphorus will ignite instantaneously.

Or, fold a slip of blotting-paper into a match five inches long; dip it into oil of turpentine, drain it an instant, drop it into another bottle of chlorine, when it will burst into a flame, and deposit much carbon.

CAOUTCHOUC BALLOONS.

Put a little ether into a bottle of caoutchouc, close it tightly, soak it in hot water, and it will become inflated to a considerable size. These globes may be made so thin as to be transparent.

A piece of caoutchouc, the size of a walnut, has thus been extended to a ball fifteen inches in diameter; and a few years since, a caoutchouc balloon, thus made, escaped from Philadelphia, and was found 130 miles from that city.

TO INCREASE THE LIGHT OF COAL GAS.

Lay a piece of wire-gauze upon the glass chimney of a common argand gas burner, when the flame will be enlarged to twice its former dimensions, and its light fully doubled. If the experiment be made with a common argand oil-lamp, the flame will be often enlarged, but so discoloured as to yield less light.

GAS FROM INDIAN RUBBER.

Put caoutchoucine, or the spirit distilled from caoutchouc, or Indian rubber, into a phial, little more than sufficient to cover the bottom, and the remainder of the phial will be filled with a heavy vapour; pour this off the spirit into another phial, apply to it a piece of lighted paper, and the vapour will burn with a brilliant flame.