An essay on burns : principally upon those which happpen (sic) to workmen in mines from the explosions of inflammable air, (or hydrogen gas) ... / By Edward Kentish.

Kentish, Edward, -1832

Date:: 1797]

Credit: An essay on burns : principally upon those which happpen (sic) to workmen in mines from the explosions of inflammable air, (or hydrogen gas) ... / By Edward Kentish. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$\ [ 2 ] dow of a doubt of its being a compound iflafe# It is capable of taking up various matters in folu- tion; but its moft common compofition, or what may be called its healthy hate, conftfts of two elaftic fluids, the one highly conducive to all the purpofes of life and of flame, and the other equal¬ ly noxious to both. This is fully illuflrated by the following experiment by M. Lavoifier:—- Having placed a certain quantity of pure mercury in a retort, adapted to a bell-glafs which inclofed ioo cubic inches of common air, he kept up in his furnace a conftant fire, of fuch a force as to keep the mercury almolt always at the boiling point. On the fecond day, fmall red particles be¬ gan to appear upon the furface of the mercury, which gradually increafed in fize and number for four or five days. Convinced that the calcination of the mercury after that time did not go on, he extinguifhed his Are, and when the veflfel was cool he found in his bell-glafs, inflead of ioo cubic i inches of air, only 86—confequently a lofs of 14 cubic inches of air. Fourteen inches of air weigh 7 grains, and the red particles of the calx of mer¬ cury being carefully collected, thefe had an increafe of weight of 7 grains, the exa<ft weight of air which feemed loft. The 86 cubic inches of air, remaining in the glafs after the calcination, were examined, and found to poffefs the following properties:— An$