The organizer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1845-18??, 1849-05-19

!. linder for hours together itwould be ia.
!. capable.of burning away. The cylinder is
a therefore allowed TO cool, when il is un-
/ screwed. and now all the wood can be taken
4 OUT. without any diminution of bulk or
E change Of form; for all its annual rings,
E sap vessels, pores, and tibres will be as per-
r feet as ever, add yet the whole will be found
@ converted into perfectly bright black char
4 oeal, and If now weighed will be found de-
E ficienl of the original weight of the wood
. used, only by the weight ofthe water, pyro-
> ligneous acid. tar. and carburelted hydro.
) gen that had been extracted from it, for now
nothing has been allowed to escape. The
charcoal is now bruised and soaked in
warm water to dissolve out the potash or
lie, (which can be weighed. and thus the
precise quantity Of every. element or in
gFedient that entered into the wood can be
weighed and ascertained.
In the former experiment all these pro-
ducts seem to have been lost, but we must
not believe this to be the case, for the same
things are produced. whether the wood be
burnt in the open air or in the iron cylinder,
with this difference that in the first expert
ment much Of the operation is invisible. and
the products seem wasted in the air, while
in the latter they are confined and kept sub
iect TO an examination. Still, however, the
air has no occasion for them, nor will il re-
tain them; they merely float about 10 il for
a short time, and are then precipitated, or
dropped down upon the earth again, though [:
in very divided. and therefore invisible
state.
Decomposition, in its chemical sens' is I
the act Of taking compound things asunder, 2
so as TO reduce them to their original simple e
elements. and this is done in two ways, viz i
and naturally In the expe. e
rimenls have just referred to, the process il
was an artificial one, being accomplished d
by the application Of heat, land the prac- Il
lical chemist has many more methods of Il
producing the same end.}-the natural pro. Il
less is decay. All things. if left to them. Ii
'elves, will perish and decay, and this is the m
process Of decomposition adopted in the FIR
yrand laboratory Of nature. in
Chemistry clearly teaches US that the al
dement's Of which all things are formed, nc
re merely lent to them for time, TO serve Of
he period oftheir natural existence, and is
ais being accomplished, the materials are m
OF wasted and thrown away. but are care. de
lilly restored TO their parent earth, to be mi
sed again and again in a chain of endless IN
and thus. when a.plant or an an OK
nal dies, decomposition and decay soon &c
How By this, the elements are uncom. ca
med and separated more perfectly and -
implicitly than they could be by the skill VIC
the most profound chemist thi
Respiration or breathing, and combustion tai
burning afford curious instances of ma an
raj decomposition The air of our at. an,
osphere consists mainly Of mixture of vii
xygen and Nitrogen gases, in the pro- its
triton nearly Of one volume or measure CHI
the first to four Of the latter, without will
ration in any country CT location; and up
csc gases can be separated. and are then thu
md to have very different properties. the
Kygen gas is absolutely essential to all quu
rning or combustion, and is equally es. VIII
ntial to the support and continuance both viii
animal and vegetable life; for no living a g
eature can exist without breathing il. nor air
n plant grow ard flourish without il on
which account our all-wise creator has veg
used il to be always present in the atmos Of p
ere. Yet such are its stimulating powers Of {
I. breathed in a separate state, although com
first the effect may be pleasing, il will this
IN produce fever and death. The other alon
J, Nitrogen will not support fame or lopez
NAL life for moment A lighted candle plan
into it instantly goes out, and any living tain
NAL, so treated, would as suddenly die. oxyl
/ that this gas contains anything zorro. turn
g or poisonous, bu. thai il is not sup. mail
ter Of life and combustion Water is ~.
ally innocent, and contains no poisonous man
nciple, but If received into the lungs. as nsiu
the case Of drowning, it produces death NOR
as nitrogen does. by excluding the mor'
essary supporter Of lie and combustion or 81
when these two gases are mixed in the We
portion Of 4 10 l.ihey mutually destroy or in
b others deleterious effects and produce by I
pleasant and Wholesome pabulum, at fed
lpheric ayr. The moment we light their
die or kindle Gre. we disturb. 10 a Ger. nuiri
extent the composition and purity Of Other
air. for lie oxygen is extracted from il This
upport the combustion. and nothing but supp
nitrogen gasis leii behind The oxygen chen
) not, however. combine with ths fuel. sevel
wiih-iis carbon, and carbon and oxygen, soils
N mixed 10 the proportion Of 1 OF the as TO
TO 2 OF the latter. produces Cafbonic thai
q gas, formerly called hEed air, which props
lsi as obnoxious 70 combustion and ami. that
lie as lhe nitrogen gas When any oil OF
2 Is burnt in a limiled quantity Of Al. tain
pherie air. that air WI Be changed in. earbc
mixinre Of nitrogen and carbonic acid plant
8. AID win Consequently beincapable or these
'ouing future combustion or animal obiail