Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours (1664)Boyle, Robert
History
Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours (1664)
Boyle, Robert
Color -- Early works to 1800; Colors -- Early works to 1800
These and other Phænomena, which I have observ'd in this delightfull
Experiment, divers of my friends have look'd upon not without some wonder,
and I remember an excellent Oculist finding by accident in a friends
Chamber a fine Vial full of this Liquor, which I had given that friend, and
having never heard any thing of the Experiment, nor having any Body near
him that could tell him what this strange Liquor might be, was a great
while apprehensive, as he presently after told me, that some strange new
distemper was invading his Eyes. And I confess that the unusualness of the
Phænomena made me very sollicitous to find out the Cause of this
Experiment, and though I am far from pretending to have found it, yet my
enquiries have, I suppose, enabled me to give such hints, as may lead your
greater sagacity to the discovery of the Cause of this wonder. And first
finding that this Tincture, if it were too copious in the water, Kept the
Colours from being so lively, and their Change from being so discernable,
and finding also that the Impregnating Virtue of this Wood did by its being
frequently Infus'd in New Water by degrees Decay, I Conjectur'd that the
Tincture afforded by the Wood must proceed from some Subtiler parts of it
drawn forth by the Water, which swimming too and fro in it did so Modifie
the Light, as to exhibit such and such Colours; and because these Subtile
parts were so easily Soluble even in Cold water, I concluded that they must
abound with Salts, and perhaps contain much of the Essential Salt, as the
_Chymists_ call it, of the Wood. And to try whether these Subtile parts
were Volatile enough to be Distill'd, without the Dissolution of their
Texture, I carefully Distill'd some of the Tincted Liquor in very low
Vessels, and the gentle heat of a Lamp Furnace; but found all that came
over to be as Limpid and Colourless as Rock-water, and the Liquor remaining
in the Vessel to be so deeply Cæruleous, that it requir'd to be oppos'd to
a very strong Light to appear of any other Colour. I took likewise a Vial
with Spirit of Wine, and a little Salt of Harts-horn, and found that there
was a certain proportion to be met with betwixt the Liquor and the Salt,
which made the Mixture fit to exhibit some little Variety of Colours not
Observable in ordinary Liquors, as it was variously directed in reference
to the Light and the Eye, but this Change of Colour was very far short from
that which we had admir'd in our Tincture. But however, I suspected that
the Tinging Particles did abound with such Salts, whose Texture, and the
Colour springing from it, would probably be alter'd by peircing Acid Salts,
which would in likelihood either make some Dissipation of their Parts, or
Associate themselves to the like Bodies, and either way alter the Colour
exhibited by them; whereupon Pouring into a small Vial full of Impregnated
Water, a very little Spirit of Vinegar, I found that according to my
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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