How to become a scientist : $b Giving interesting and instructive experiments in chemistry, mechanics, acoustics and pyrotechnicsWarford, Aaron A.
Science
How to become a scientist : $b Giving interesting and instructive experiments in chemistry, mechanics, acoustics and pyrotechnics
Warford, Aaron A.
Scientific recreations
Into a jar standing over water half full of this gas, pass an equal
quantity of chlorine gas. The gases will speedily unite and form an
oily-looking liquid, which may be collected from the sides of the jar
as it trickles down. By continually supplying the jar with the two
gases as they combine, a considerable quantity of this substance may
be collected. Care should be taken that the olefiant gas is rather in
excess.
The substance produced is insoluble in water, with which it should be
washed by shaking them together in a tube, and has a pleasant sweetish
taste and aromatic smell, somewhat resembling ether.
Coal Gas.
The gas so universally employed for the purposes of illumination is a
mixture of the carbureted and the bi-carbureted hydrogen, with minute
portions of other gases scarcely worth mentioning. It is procured
by submitting coals to a red heat in iron retorts, having a tube
passing from one end, along which passes all the fluid and gaseous
matter separated from the coal, namely, gas tar, ammoniacal liquor,
and various gases, carbureted hydrogen, carbonic acid, sulphureted
hydrogen, etc., etc. The tar and ammoniacal liquor remain in the
vessel in which the tubes from the retorts terminate, and the gaseous
productions are conveyed through water and lime to separate the
impurities; the remaining gas, now fit for use, passes into large iron
vessels, called gasometers, inverted over water (like the jars in a
pneumatic trough), whence it is sent through pipes and distributed
where required. What remains in the retorts is called coke. It consists
principally of charcoal mixed with the earthy and metallic particles
contained in the coal.
Experiment.
If you possess an iron bottle, fill it with powdered coal, and attach
a flexible tube to it, and put it in the fire; as soon as it becomes
red-hot, large quantities of smoke will escape from the end of the
tube, being the gas mixed with all its impurities. By passing it
through water (if mixed with lime it will be better), the gas may be
collected in jars standing over water, and submitted to experiment. If
you do not possess a bottle, take a tobacco-pipe with a large bowl,
fill the bowl with small coal, cover it with clay or putty, and when
dry put it into the fire, and the gas will soon appear at the other end
of the pipe, when it may be lighted, or the gas may be collected over
water, as in the former experiment.
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