The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-03-21

comes in contact with the metal Heat is
| then saddenly impaired to the liquid, which
| Immediately burst into cbulition.
1t is common experiment, and one which
| may be made in any smithy, to rub the
| tongue against bar Of whitc-hot iron. The
tenderest lady who chances to read this art-
Gle may make this experiment with perfect
Impunity, provided the bar be sufficiently
heated. In this case, the layer developed
between the hot metal and the mcist tongue
effctually shields the latter from harm And
this brings US TO those remarkable expert
meD.s, the performance Of which, by Il.
Boutigny, excited Sc much interest few
years ogo. At the meeting of the British
Association at Ipswich in 1851, many Of the
visitors had an opportunity Of geeing ~
Boutigny pass his hand through a stream OF
motion iron. Previous to doing so, the ez-
perimenter dipped his hand in bucke, Of
water. He afterwards scooped, with his
fingers, the liquid metal out Of a crucible
and scattered its drops around Ike those Of
water. y similar experiment may be made
with molten lead, care being taken 10 skim
the oxide from the surface, and render it
clean. The fingers, moistencd by water, or
by liquid ammonia, may be dipped into the
lead with impunity. Here, also, the hotter
the metal, the less will be the danger. Pom
der;ng upon these results, the miraculous
disappears frorS the following experiment,
made by holy man Of antiquity. IN the
year 24l, SapOr gave orders 10 his wise men
to do all in their power to convert certain
of his subjects who had backs,i,!Gc. from
the faith Of their ancestors. To effect this
one OF the priests Of the dominant sect, Ab-
turabad Mabrasphaud by name, offered to
submit TO what he called tie tierv ordeal
He proposed that 4 quantity Of motion cop
per should be poured over his body, On con
dition that, if he remained uninjured, the
dissidents should return TO their ancient b.
lief. THIS was agreed to; and IS pounds Of
the molten meta! were poured over his ~
ked body. lie escaped unharmed, and .he,
herctics were al converted.
It has ---1 stated that the water IN le
red hot -,a!ic capsule docs rot reach its
boiling point; the existence Of az intensely
cold liquid in such vessel is also possible.
Il is well known that carbonic acid gas can
be rendered liquid by great pressure It is
needless 10 observe tha: this gas is one Of
the products of respiration; that its escape
causes the effervesence Of champagne and
saltwater and that If marble, OF chalk,
which is 4 carbonate Of lime. be -t.cl upon
by sulphuric Q. any other aci', this gas is
liberated in abundance. The liquid carbon
ic acid IS preserved in strong iron bottles,
which are closed by perfectly fitting taps.
When one Of these is opened, the substance
being relieved from the pressure which held
it III the liquid condition, flashes into gas
but not AL OF it. Il is well known that a
body, in passing from the liquid 10 tie gas
cous condition, absoTbs an enormous guam
tity of heat. So great is the amount ST
H. 81, .af ;.,. +. I r
and SO intense Is the cold produced bv this
absorption, that great portion Of the car
bonic acid is actually frozen, and may be
collected Is pure white snow.
Not only does body II pms - from, Tie
liquid to the gaseous condition absorb
large amount of heat; in passing from the
solid 10 the liquid state, similar absorption
and corresponding production Of cold,
takes place. Ii the solid carbonc aid ob-
tanned in the manner above described, be
mixed with ether, the solid ne,tS. aud the
cold produced is the ino-t intense know n 10
man. Fahrenheit thought that the lowest
possible was at a. below tlc
freezing point Of water. ana hence chcsc this
peint rs the zero Of his scale; but with :
mixture Of carbonic acid and ether, Tni,o-
ricr obtained temperature 1928 below the
freezing point of water, sad Mitchell one
l7e- below the ssme point
Ii quantity of the mixture be placed in
4 red-hot metallic crucibIe, the elastic force
OF the othgg-vapou- shields the substance
from contact with the vessel; the heat i'm
parted by the latter is absorbed bv the va
pour, and the mixture remains intensely
cold. II Z spoon containing water be plunged
into the mixture, the water is instantly con-
vertcd into ice. Ii quantity Of mercury
be placed in a copper lacIe, ana immersed IN
the mixture, it also is frozen; aud the Iuer-
curry ,hus soiidiied, may be bent back wards
and forwards, and cut with knife like
cheese. The carbonic acid itself furnishes
US with al example Of solid III the Sphcroi-
DIAL condition. As fast as it can supply it
sell with the necessary heat from surround
!ng bodies, it is converted into gas. Ii
placed upon any smooth surface, it slides
about upon it without apparent friction, the
sliding being due to the fact that It is lubr-
Gated by its own vapour- 1t may be held in
the hand, or even placed II the mouth tca.c
being taken not 10 inspire while ii is there
and 10 painful sensation Of cold IS felt
Were the hand and tongue, however, not F.
shielded by the rapour, the Carboaic acid
" would be almost as destructive as a rcd-hot
metal. When squeezed into contact with
the skin, il burns it severely. The freezing
Of water, ans! even Of mercury, in rsd-hot
vessels, may also be effected by LIQUID sui
phurous acid; but the cold thus produced is
not at all SO intense as that obtained i'll the
above described.
While engaged on the present article, an
anccIote of reputed miracle reached Us,
which in all probability is to be referred TO
the scientific principles just described. Some
y ears ago, missionary in one of the South
Sea Islands was visited by some of the na-
tive chiefs, who came to inform lin that !
priest of rival sect in the ncghborhood, I
had, in their prcscnce, converted water into .
ice in red hot vessel, rnd had referred to .
the fact as an evidence OF his divine mission. |
The missionary was asked if be could do ,
the like. and was obliged to confess his ina !
JiIity. He wrote homo, however, and ob /
tanned the necessary instructions for the t
performance of the experiment.; bat whether
be succeeded in neuIral:zing the power Of
his rival, we have not yet been informed.
Before quitting the subject of the sphcroi- I
ial condition of water, a word is perhaps /
necessary on the part it may play in practi !
cal life. The following experiment is easily .
made:-Take small flask Of thin sheet cop /
ocr. with Il horizoatal handle attached to its .
neck; let the bottom of the flask be heated .
over i spiri,-lamp, and while in this state let I
a little water (hot water is besO be poured
into it. The liquid will assun the spheroi-
lal FORM Let the flask be corked, and the /
amp withdrawn: for short time all re-
mains quiescent; finally, the water within
.he flask touches the hot metal, steam is
generated, and the cork is pro-
Delled violently upwards. 1t is usual to pass
through the cork fine glass tube, to per.
nit the small portion of vapour generated
Shile the liquid is in the spheroida condi-
ion to escape. Now, it is strongly asserted
Dy some, and indeed the opinion is enter