Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-21
AGRICULTURAL PAPERS.
1 sHRIEs PREPARED ESPECIALLY roR
THE "REcoRD-UM0H.~

Presenting the instruction Contained In
Lectures from the Chair of Agri-
culture, State University.
SECOND PAPER (CosrNUHD(- HORTICULTURAL
CHEMISTRY-IMPORTAN DEFINITIONS.
We shall describe very briefly the
other constituent element of air, namely,
nitrogen. The physical properties of
nitrogen appear to be almost directly op-
posite to those of oxygen. Whereas, oxy-
gen is very active, nitrogen is quite inert,
and it is hard to make it combine with
any other element. Oxygen is a direct sup
porter of combustion in nitrogen the flame
dies out, not from any property OF the
nitrogen, but simply from the exclusion OF
oxygen. The principal function of nitro
gen in the atmosphere seems to be that OF
simply diluting the oxygen SO that its ac-
tion will not be too rapid. Oxygen Is
supporter of respiration, nitrogen Is not !;
nor will decay take place in an atmosphere
of nitrogen. This is owing to the reluctance
with which nitrogen combines with any
other body. Decay is simply chemical
change in the constituents of body, and
as nitrogen will rarely unite with any body
except at high temperature, it can easily
be seen that bodies in nitrogen do not de.
cay, for the simple reason that no chemical
change takes place. Alta high temperature
nitrogen unites with carbon to form COM
pound called cyanogen, which unltes with
an atom of hydrogen to form prussic acid.
In the mineral kingdom nitrogen occurs in
small quantities in inter or saltpeter; it
also occurs in ammonia gas. This gas is
given off by decayiDg vegetation, horn, etc,
but is for commercial purposes derived
from the manufacture of coal gas, where
it is a product. The ammonia water or
hartshorn of commerce and medicine Is
simply a compound Of ammonia gas and
water.
Nitrogen occurs to slight extent in all
plants, and is an essential constituent of
the animal body, in the working tissues
tendons, muscles and nerves of which 1t Is
invariably found. heterogeneous matter is
therefore an indispensable article of food,
if one wishes to maintain his flesh and
strength Nitrogen is colorless, taste
less and odorless gas. Its specific gravity
is fourteen-that is, given bulk of nitro
gen weighs fourteen times as much as the
same bulk of hydrogen, which, being the
lightest of all gases, is taken as the
standard of comparison of the weights of
| elements.
Hydrogen, like nitrogen, is colorless,
odorless and tastless gas. Is occurs free
| in small quantities in volcanic regions, in
the gas from boiling springs, and has been
| found absorbed in meteoric iron. The
principal occurrence Of hydrogen in nature
| is in combination with oxygen as water,
which is composed of one part by weight
of hydrogen and eight parts of oxygen.
| Hydrogen can be obtained free from water
by adding to it piece of metallic sodium,
which lhas such a strong affinity for the
| oxygen that it will unite with the oxygen
of the water, and the hydrogen will be set
free Hydrogen is the Gghtest of all
known bodies in nature, and is about four
| teen and one.half times lighter than air.
1t has been used for initiating balloons, but
common coal gas, which is much cheaper
and is easier obtained, and of which hydro
gen forms a large part, is now most
frequently used for that purpose. Hydrogen
burns with an intensely hot, though non.
luminous flame, and as said before, is used
in the oxyhydrogen blow.pipe. A peculiar
| ity of its combustion is that the gas OF
itself will neither burn nor support CON-
bustion if blazing splinter be plunged
into jar of hydrogen gas it will go out
and also if jet of hydrogen be conducted
into vacuum it will not burn. In other
words, for hydrogen to burn it must be in
contact with free oxygen. Whenever n.y.
drogen does burn the product is invariably
water. Water is an oxide of hydrogen,
and is of very general occurrence through
out nature If you burn jet of hydrogen
under cold glass jar, moisture will be
glass, thus showing that water has
been formed by the combustion Of hydro.
gen in air. Again if two volumes of
hydrogen and one of oxygen be conducted
into closed vessel and spark of elec-
tricity be passed through the gases, there
will be an explosive combination, and
drops of moisture will be deposited on the
vessel Now if this water could be
weighed it would be found to have exactly
the same weight as the combined weight OF
the gases which were introduced into the
jar. With carbon, hydrogen forms very
| large number of natural compounds OF
| these the most common ones are the volatile
oils, as the oils of turpentine, lemon, etc.
the ILLUMINATING ingredient OF coal gas,
,al or kerosene, psraffine and tenziI 9
| These all are incluued under the head OF
hydro carbons, which comprize great
number of organic compounds. Hydro
gen unites with sulphur to form a gas
known as sulphureted hydrogen, or
sulphydric acid. 1t is very dis
agreeable smelling substance, possess.
ing in high degree the odor of rotten eggs.
This gas is given off from sulphur springs,
volcanic regions, and from most all putri-
fying matter This brings US to the con.
sideration of the properties of sulphur,
which is solid of very general occurrence.
In commercial use it is found in two forms
in sticks (brimstone, or roll sulphurl, or
as fine yellow powder of peculiar taste.
known as -four of sulphur. Sulphur is
very combustible, and when burning it
forms a dense, suffocating gas, which unites
with one molecule of water to form sui
phurous acid. This sulphurous gas is given
off from matches when they are being lg-
nited; it is evolved from the pale blue
flame of the match when it is first liz,
and gives rise to the characteristic
disagreeable odo- of burning matches.
Sulphurous acid gas is a compound OF one
atom of sulphur with two atoms of oxy-
gen. There is another very important COM
pound of sulphur and oxygen, consisting of
one part of sulphur and three parts of oxy-
gen. 1t is known as anhydrous sulphuric
acid, or sulphur trioxide, and unites with
one molecule of water to form the sulphuric
acid or oil of vitriol of commerce. The
anhydrous without water) sulphuric gas is
dense, white gas, which condenses into
prismatic crystals, which again, on stand
ing, change into long silky needles. This
sulphuric acid unites, chemically, with
METALS and forms sulphates. Common blue.
stone is the sulphate of copper, and can be
prepared by treating metallic copper with
oil Of vitriol. Green vitriol is the sulphate
of iron and may be prepared in the same
way as copper sulphate. Gypsum is
the sulphate of calcium (lime); glauber's