to burn under a certain arrangement, in order that we may examine its
results and make use of the information which we may thereby acquire.
Inasmuch as the candle produces water, and this gas comes out of the
water, let us see what this gives us by the same process of combustion
that the candle went through when it burnt in the atmosphere; and for that
purpose I am going to put the lamp under this apparatus, in order to
condense whatever may arise from the combustion within it In the course of
a short time you will see moisture appearing in the cylinder, and you will
get the water running down the side; and the water from this hydrogen
flame will have absolutely the same effect upon all our tests, being
obtained by the same general process as in the former case. This hydrogen
is a very beautiful substance. It is so light that it carries things up:
it is far lighter than the atmosphere; and I dare say I can shew you this
by an experiment which, if you are very clever, some of you may even have
skill enough to repeat. Here is our generator of hydrogen, and here are
some soap-suds. I have an india-rubber tube connected with the hydrogen
generator, and at the end of the tube is a tobacco-pipe.
[Illustration: Fig. 18.]
I can thus put the pipe into the suds, and blow bubbles by means of the
hydrogen. You observe how the bubbles fall downwards when I blow them with
my warm breath; but notice the difference when I blow them with hydrogen.
[The Lecturer here blew bubbles with hydrogen, which rose to the roof of
the theatre.] It shews you how light this gas must be in order to carry
with it not merely the ordinary soap-bubble, but the larger portion of a
drop hanging to the bottom of it. I can shew its lightness in a better way
than this; larger bubbles than these may be so lifted up; indeed, in
former times balloons used to be filled with this gas. Mr. Anderson will
fasten this tube on to our generator, and we shall have a stream of
hydrogen here with which we can charge this balloon made of collodion. I
need not even be very careful to get all the air out, for I know the power
of this gas to carry it up. [Two collodion balloons were inflated, and
sent up, one being held by a string.] Here is another larger one made of
thin membrane, which we will fill and allow to ascend. You will see they
will all remain floating about until the gas escapes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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