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
Fourteenthly, But to try what it would do rubb'd upon Bodies more hard, and
less apt to yield Heat upon a light Affriction, than Cloath, I first rubb'd
it upon a white wooden Box, by which it was excited, and afterwards upon a
piece of purely Glazed Earth, which seem'd during the Attrition to make it
Shine better than any of the other Bodies had done, without excepting the
White ones, which I add, lest the Effect should be wholly ascrib'd to the
disposition White Bodies are wont to have to Reflect much Light.
Fifteenthly, Having well excited the Stone, I nimbly plung'd it under
Water[40], that I had provided for that purpose, and perceiv'd it to Shine
whilst it was beneath the Surface of that Liquor, and this I did divers
times. But when I indeavour'd to produce a Light by rubbing it upon the
lately mentioned Cover of the Box, the Stone and it being both held beneath
the Surface of the Water, I did not well satisfie my self in the Event of
the Trial; But this I found, if I took the Stone out, and Rubb'd it upon a
piece of Cloath, it would not as else it was wont to do, presently acquire
a Luminousness, but needed to be rubb'd manifestly much longer before the
desired Effect was found.
[40] XV. _We likewise Plung'd it as soon as we had excited it, under
Liquors of several sorts, as Spirit of Wine, Oyl both Chymical and
express'd, an Acid Spirit, and as I remember an Alcalizate Solution, and
found not any of those various Liquors to destroy its Shining property._
Sixteenthly, I also try'd several times, that by covering it with my warm
Spittle (having no warm Water at hand) it did not lose his Light.[41]
[41] XVI. _Having found by this Observation, that a warm Liquor would not
extinguish Light in the Diamond, I thought fit to try, whether by reason
of its warmth it would not excite it, and divers times I found, that if
it were kept therein, till the Water had leisure to communicate some of
its Heat to it, it would often shine as soon as it was taken out, and
probably we should have seen it Shine more, whilst it was in the Water,
if some degree of Opacity which heated Water is wont to acquire, upon the
score of the Numerous little Bubbles generated in it, had not kept us
from discerning the Lustre of the Stone._
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