The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-03-02
4NAIrs1s or 4zE D1AMoyD.

undertook the examination of the dia-
mond, and it is worth while noticing
how carefully he went to work, how he
proceeded slowly from one step to another
in logical sequence, until he arrived at
the true solution of the question he had
to investigate that is, until
he was able TO tell US exactly what hap
pens when the diamond evaporates in
free fire, and why it did not do so when
surrounded by charcoal. In the first
place, he evaporated the diamond by
means Of the burning glass, and he OBJ I
served that no visible vapor or smoke I
was given off, but that the diamond dis /
appeared. He thought that perhaps the I
solid diamond had in some way been dis |
soAed by the water, and that by eyapor- /
ating the water, which was in the lower /
part of the bell jar in which he burnt
his diamond, he might obtain the con-
stituents of the diamond in solid form;
but he found that no solid residue was
left on evaporation, and thus no trace of
the diamond could be found. His next
experiment was that of placing a dia-
mond in the focus of a less powerful lens
than the one he had formerly used, so
that the diamond was not heated to 50
high temperature as before, again piac-
ing it, however, IN a bell jar over water.
He then found that the diamond, when
not heated quite so strongly, lost only
~ ,f ..
not disappear altogether, but the remark
able fact was noticed that it became COW
!. cred with black substance which La
I voisier describes as being exactly like
/ lampblack or scot, so that it dirtied IL
fingers when touched, and made black
mark upon paper. Hence Lavoisier con-
Guided that the diamond is susceptible OF
being brought, under certain circum-
stances, into the condition of chaIcoal,so
that it really belongs to the class OF
combustible bodies. He was, however
yet far from having proved this point
and he went on experimenting. He next
measured the volume of air in which be
was going to burn the diamond and found
it TO be eight cubic inches. Then he
burned the diamond in this volume Of
air by means of a lens, and found that
the air had diminished TO a volume Of
six cubic inches; thus showing that
the air had undergone some change by
the combustion of the diamond, and that
two out OF the eight volumes of air had
: disappeared. The next experiment he
: made was to examine the condition OF
the air in which the diamond had been
: evaporated. What changes had gone on
) in the air in consequence of the evapor-
! alton of the diamond: After allowing
the glass in which he had burned the
diamond to stand for four days, he
, poured clear lime water into the Jar in
which the diamond had been eysporated
: and he says this lime water was at once
precipitated in the same manner "a if it
5 had been brought into contact with the
2 gas evolved in effervescence and fermen-
4 tation, Oh that given off in cases OF me-
2 tallic reduction. Here, then, be kad got
on the track of what he wanted. Hith-
: erto the diamond had apparently disap-
peared, and nothing was found to &C
5 count for its disappearance; but now he
T had found that there was something con-
, tanned in the air in which the diamond
was burned which was not contained in
that air before.
The next step he took was TO examine
/ the white precipitate or powder which
was formed, and he found that the sub
I stance thus precipitated from lime water.
by the air in which the diamond had
: been evaDorated, effervesced on treat
: ment with acid, and evolved what was
then known as fixed air, but which we
now know as carbonic acid gas. Here
, then, in his last experiment he completes
r his proof, showing that exactly the same
} effects are observed when charcoal is ex
/ perimented upon instead OF diamond
Lavoisier had now run his quarry &c
earth; he had determined exactly what
l it is that IS formed when a diamond /,
burned. He has shown that a diamond
? when burned produces exactly the same
: substance that is produced when com
mon charcoal is burned, and he, there
fore, legitimately concludes that diamond
: is only another form of the element car
: bon. The reason that the diamond die
] not burn in the furnace when surrounded
2 by mass of charcoal was that the air
G or rather the oxygen of the air, could
e not get TO the diamond, because it wa
!. kept off by the charcoal, which burned
: instead of the diamond-Prof. Roscoe.