The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday
page 80 of 119 (67%)
page 80 of 119 (67%)
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carbonic acid--and now, if there is any carbonic acid, I must have got to
it by this time, and it will be in this bucket, which we will examine with a taper. There it is, you see; it is full of carbonic acid. [Illustration: Fig. 30.] There is another experiment by which I will shew you its weight. I have here a jar suspended at one end of a balance--it is now equipoised; but when I pour this carbonic acid into the jar on the one side which now contains air, you will see it sink down at once, because of the carbonic acid that I pour into it. And now, if I examine this jar with the lighted taper, I shall find that the carbonic acid has fallen into it, and it no longer has any power of supporting the combustion. If I blow a soap-bubble, which of course will be filled with air, and let it fall into this jar of carbonic acid, it will float. [Illustration: Fig. 31.] But I shall first of all take one of these little balloons filled with air. I am not quite sure where the carbonic acid is; we will just try the depth, and see whereabouts is its level. There, you see, we have this bladder floating on the carbonic acid; and if I evolve some more of the carbonic acid, the bladder will be lifted up higher. There it goes--the jar is nearly full; and now I will see whether I can blow a soap-bubble on that, and float it in the same way. [The Lecturer here blew a soap-bubble, and allowed it to fall into the jar of carbonic acid, when it floated in it midway.] It is floating, as the balloon floated, by virtue of the greater weight of the carbonic acid than of the air. And now, having so far given you the history of the carbonic acid--as to its sources in the candle, as to its physical properties and weight--when we next meet I |
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