On Molecular and Microscopic Science, Volume 1 (of 2)Somerville, Mary
History
On Molecular and Microscopic Science, Volume 1 (of 2)
Somerville, Mary
Matter -- Constitution; Microscopy; Natural history
causes the molecules of a fluorescent substance to oscillate in slower
periods than the incident light, while calorescence causes the molecules
of a substance to oscillate in longer periods than the incident light.
The refrangibility of the rays is lowered in the first case, and raised
in the second.
Substances differ as much in their transmission of the chemical rays as
those of light and heat. Glass is impervious to the most highly
refrangible chemical rays, while rock crystal transmits them with the
greatest facility; and on that account the absolute length of the
spectrum was not known till the light was refracted by prisms of rock
crystal. Besides, the number, position, and intensity of the chemical
rays vary with the source of light. Some flames have scarcely any
chemical rays; that of the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe, though intensely hot,
has very few, and even the solar light is inferior in that respect to
electricity. The electric spark from the prime conductor of a common
electrifying machine, or the discharge of a Leyden jar, emits rays of
very high refrangibility, far surpassing those which emanate from the
sun. For, when the electric light from a highly charged Leyden jar was
refracted by two quartz prisms and thrown by Professor Stokes on a plate
of uranium glass, the chemical spectrum was highly luminous, and six or
eight times as long as the visible spectrum. An equally extensive
spectrum was obtained from the voltaic arc taken between copper points;
it consisted entirely of bright lines. The long spectrum also appeared
on the uranium glass when the spark refracted by quartz prisms was
obtained from the secondary terminals of an induction coil in connection
with the coatings of a Leyden jar. It consisted of bright lines, but was
not so luminous as that from a powerful voltaic battery. On changing the
metals of the points between which the sparks passed, the bright lines
were changed, which showed that they were due to the particular metals.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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