The Chemistry of CookeryWilliams, W. Mattieu (William Mattieu)
Science
The Chemistry of Cookery
Williams, W. Mattieu (William Mattieu)
Cooking
Spring water and river water that have passed through or over
considerable distances in calcareous districts suffer another change
in boiling. The origin and nature of this change may be shown by
another experiment as follows: Buy a pennyworth of lime-water from a
druggist, and procure a small glass tube of about quill size, or the
stem of a fresh tobacco-pipe may be used. Half fill a small wine-glass
with the lime-water, and blow through it by means of the tube or
tobacco-pipe. Presently it will become turbid. Continue the blowing,
and the turbidity will increase up to a certain degree of milkiness. Go
on blowing with ‘commendable perseverance,’ and an inversion of effect
will follow; the turbidity diminishes, and at last the water becomes
clear again.
The chemistry of this is simple enough. From the lungs a mixture
of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbonic acid is exhaled. The carbonic
acid combines with the soluble lime, and forms a carbonate of lime
which is insoluble in mere water. But this carbonate of lime is to a
certain extent soluble in water saturated with carbonic acid, and such
saturation is effected by the continuation of blowing.
Now take some of the lime-water that has been thus treated, place it in
a clean glass flask, and boil it. After a short time the flask will be
found incrusted with a thin film of something. This is the carbonate
of lime which has been thrown down again by the action of boiling,
which has driven off its solvent, the carbonic acid. This crust will
effervesce if a little acid is added to it.
In this manner our tea-kettles, engine-boilers, &c., become incrusted
when fed with calcareous waters, and most waters are calcareous; those
supplied to London, which is surrounded by chalk, are largely so. Thus,
the boiling or cooking of such water effects a removal of its mineral
impurities more or less completely. Other waters contain such mineral
matter as salts of sodium and potassium. These are not removable
by mere boiling, being equally soluble in hot or cold, aerated, or
non-aerated water.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account