The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-04-27

CHEMICAL EXPERIMENTS AT EIGHT h
WARD SCHOOL HoUsE.-On Saturday
evening very interesting and lnsTuctlve
series OF experiments were given at tne
above named place by Principal ID. N.
Mertz, assisted by Chas. e. Dwight.
The experiments illustrative OF some OF
tho yUnnders of combustion were com.
menced bv showing how candle burns;
that II Ia necessary for the wax or talloW
TO be uaporized before it can burn. To
illustrate this q taper was plunged into a
dish of molten wax, when it was at once
extinguished, showing that It would not
burn in that condition. Then q flask
partly filled with wax was heated strong.
iy, when the wax was vaporfzed, and
passing up through the neck, was ignited,
and burned only above the flask, proving
that when in vapor it readily burned,
very brilliant flame being produced some
eight or ten inches high. 1t was small
gas works, only using wax in place OF
coal.
We were then told how candle was
Just the same, being perfect gas works
on small scale; also, that it vaporized It's
tallow or wax first, before it could burn.
Then we were shown how and why the
LIQUID wax was drawn up from the small
cup surrounding the wick to the point OF
combustion by capillary attraction. This
was made very plain by having long
glass tube filled with candle-wick, which
was placed in flask OF colored alcohol.
The red liquid commenced Immediately
to rise, and could be seen from all parts
OF the large room slowly rising until on
reaching the top Mr.. Mertz lighted 1t,
and regular alcohol lamp was before us.
The capillarity was also shown by NIL
ing another shorter tube with firm white
salt, and on being placed with one end in
q shallow dish of red alcohol, the latter
could be plainly traced as it slowly
climbed up coloring the salt deep red,
and plainly making its progress. When
it gained the top it was lighted and burned
until all the alcohol had been drawn up
from the dish.
The structure of flame was then beauti-
fully shown. It was stated to be hollow
and filled with combustible gases or va
porized wax from the wick, which were
ready to burn when they reach the air.
A long glass tube was taken and one end
inserted within the dark part OF the flame
and the unburned gases conveyed through
it and lighted at the other end, thus
giving positive proof that the dark part OF
all flame is merely unbunred gas, which
will burn when supplied with air.
Tho Professor alluded to the smoke
which always follows the blowing out OF
candle. This he proved to be combust1-
BILE, and on collecting the smoke by plac-
ing glass tube over the smoulder1ng
wick, it was filed with the dense fumes,
and when lighted taper was held at the
upper end of the tube the fumes took fire,
running down through the whole length
of the tube and lighting the candle. The
candle was also lighted by holding the
taper above the smouldering wick an
inch or two in the fumes which always
follow the extinguishing of candle.
One fifth of the air was stated to be
composed of substance which would
support combustion, while the other
four-fifths would not allow it TO- take
place in it alone. To illustrate this q
tall bell glass was filled with air and
placed over water. Then,a substance was
placed under it that would exhaust all
the combustible element and leave only
the elements antagonistic to combustion.
AS the former was absorbed the water
rose to take its place and all could see
that it occupied the space OF just one.flth
part of the air previously iuclosed. The
remaining four-fifths would put out q
lighted taper Immediately on beng held
in it. Further to prove that there was
oxygen in the air and that this latter
was The support of combustion very
beautiful test was shown. First, two tall
bell glasses were produced filled with
perfectly clear, transparent gases. One,
we were told, was oxygen, the other
nitrous oxide. A glass plate separated
the one from the other. Oxygen having
a great affinity for nitrous oxide, com.
bines with it and forms nitric oxide, which
is red, consequently, when the glass plate
separating them was resumed the two
gases combined and the two colorless
gases were transformed as by magic to q
deep red cherry color which was very
beautiful. This was to show the'action
of pure oxygen. The air was then proved
to contain the same element by similar
experiment.
Then came the always pleasing and
brilliant experiments with this wonderful
element-oxygen. II it is the only con-
stituept of our atmosphere which sup.
ports all the forms of combustion, and
only exists in the proportion OF one part
to four of elements antagonistic TO the
same, it must have power even in this
small quantity to overcome in measure
the balance. If, then, we have an atmos-
phere of pure oxygen, we can burn almost
everything that is once in the least ignited.
This was shown by burning steel watch
springs, iron wire, ETC., which burned
with great brilliancy, throwing off bright
scintillations in all directions. There
was variety of experiments with this
gas, showing its powerful action in sup
porting all form OF combustion. Then
came very fine experiment consisting
of lighting lamp with drop of water.
The Professor, holding drop of the lat.
ter upon the point of a knife, dropped it
on the wick of an alcohol lamp, when it
burst into flame and continued to burn
as If it had been lighted with match.
A piece of potassium had been placed
upon the wick OF the lamp, and the drop
of water in combining with it generated
heat sufficient 70 cause its ignition. While
experimenting on the structure of flame
the Professor, alter stating that the centre
of nearly all flame was hollow, to verify
the statement placed small pile of gun
powder upon the point of his pen. knife
and thrust it quickly through the crust or
side of the flame from an alcohol lamp
and held the powder in the centre of the
flame for several seconds, and it would not
ignite as long as held in the dark part OF
the flame, but en- slowly drawing it out to
the outside of the latter, it would imme-
diately flash up. This was repeated sew
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