The San Francisco call., 1895-11-03
Acetylene Gas May Make the
lncandescent Lamp
Pale.
STORAGE IN CYLINDERS
When Mixed With Natural Gas It
Produces Most Vivid
Flame.

tlons OF temperature carbon would COM
plne with various metals, forming "car-
bIdes" of the metals, but with the excep-
ton OF the various carbides OF iron these
compounds have been little understood
until comparatively recently
The carbides of the alkali metals, potas-
SUM, sodium, barium, strontium and cal
c1um, are of great interest, especially the
last named, on account of the fact that
when they are brought into contact with
water they are decomposed with an oxide
or hydroxide of the metal and acetylene
gas as resulting products. The oxide of
calcium is quicklime of commerce; the
hydroxide slaked lime.
Acetylene has for long time been rec
ognlzed as the powerful Illuminating ele-
ment in almost all forms OF artificial light
IN which the oxidation of hydrocarb bon
Is depended upon as the source OF light.
In paper recently read before the London
Society of Arts Professor V. B. Lewis
says: ''In my researches upon the lumi-
Mostly of flame l have shown that all the
hydrocarbons presented in coal gas and
| other luminous flames are converted by
the baking action taking place in the inner
! non-lumlnous zone of the flame into acety-
and that it is the acetylene which, by Its
| rapid decomposition, provides the Iumi-
nous Hame with these carbon particles
which, being heated to incandescence by
various causes, endows the fame with the
power of emitting light"
With the competition of electric light to
meet, all the gas-manufacturers of the
world are searching for some cheap gas
with which to enrich or increase the
illuminating power of their gas, so that
considering this fact it will be compre-
hended easily that any process which will
produce such necessary article of con-
sumption will be of great value, provided
it will produce it at low cost and in large
quantity.
Sir Humphry Davy was the discoverer
OF the chemical combination of carbon and
an aikaE metal. potassium, and he dis
covered also that the resulting compound
would effervesce with water, but it re-
mained for Berzelius QS36) to determine
that the gas given off was acetylene.
Woehler QS62) prepared calcium carbide,
and found out that 1t decomposed by con-
tact with water forming slaked lime and
gas, acetylene. On account of the great
cost of production of these compounds,
and also their great impurity, they were
looked upon as mere laboratory curiosities
until recently, when T. l.. Wilson began
experiments upon the eIectrolytic reduc-
tlon OF certain refractory metallic oxides.
be used carbon as a reducing agent and
depended upon the great heat of the cleo
trio arc to effect the result. While endeav-
orlng to form an alloy of calcium from
some of its compounds, he heated mix
ture of powdered anthracite coal and lime
In his furnace, and produced a semi
metallic mass which did not prove to be
the alloy he was after, and was thrown
aside into vessel containing water. The
result was violent ebullition of an ex-
tremely pungent, irritating gas, which
being lit burned with a bright smoky
flame, and which analysis proved to be
acetylene. Here was one of the most
unique discoveries of modern times, and
Mr.. Wilson was quick to act. He expert
mented further, land determined that in
a properly constructed electrical furnace
DulveriZed chalk or lime mixed with any
form of powdered carbon-charcoal, coke,
anthracite, bituminous or graphite-can
be fused into compound known as calcic
| car bide, and that on the addition of water
a double decomposition takes place" The
oxygen of the water com bines with the
calcium to form lime and the hydrogen
unites with the carbon to form acetylene
Calclc carbide is dark gray, stony. look
ing body, weighing 2.26 times as much as
water, and one pound of it gives out 5.3
cubic feet of the gas.
Acetylene is colorless gas, weighs 81 as
much as air, and has most unpleasant
odor, resembling garlic. 1t is poisonous
though not so much so as carbonic oxide
| and not nearly so dangerous on account of
| its odor, while the last-named gas is odor-
| less. 1t is readily soluble in water, 10
volumes of water absorbing II of the gas
and then, becoming saturated, no more is
! taken up. 1t Is more readily soluble in
| alcohol. AT pressure of 2l.5 atm ospheres
and temperature of freezing water it is
easily liquetied in the form of a colorless,
mobile, highly retroactive liquid. If tine
pressure be suddenly relieved 1t solidifies
| quickly by reason of the rapid evaporation
ignited, affording the striking spectacle
| OF the combustion of a solid mass
at a temperature of 11S degrees
Fahrenheit, temperature low enough
| to solidify mercury. If, however,
the pressure be relieved slowly it assumes
! the gaseous form, so that it may be burned
| by means OF properly constructed burner
provided with suitable reducing valves. 1t
is true gas and not vapor which fact
renders certain q complete mixture by
diffusion with any other gas, a quality Of
| great value in its use as an enricher of
Illuminating gas. In common with the
| other hydrocarbons, it becomes explosive
when mixed with air. In the proportion
of four of acetylene to five of air it begins
| to be explosive, and at one to twenty of
| air 1T ceases to lie explosive. At one to
twelve of air the explosive violence reaches
| ltS maximum. III moisture be present, it
attacks copper, so that all gas fixtures
| made of an alloy of copper must be coated
with a waterproof varnIsh or else be
timed. So much for its physical
properties
In enumerating its practical possibilities
one is somewhat at loss just where to be-
gin, SO many and varied are the uses to
which it may be put. Professor Lewis in
his recent paper says: Acetylene can be
looked upon as one of the great keystones
of the organic edifce, and it is hardly pos
| sible to foresee the results which viii be
ultimately produced. 1t is the simplest of
all the hydrocarbons, two atoms each of
carbon and hydrogen uniting to form the
molecule. 1t may readily be converted
| into benzol, from which all the wonderful
| anilines, colors and f1avors can be derived:
ethylene, which will give us ethyl alcohol
and all of its host of organic derivations-
napthalene, anthracene and many other
| such compounds. Perhaps the most i'm
portant use to which it may be put is as all
| illuminant, either as an enricher of other
gases or by itself. Mixed with ordinary .'coal
| gas" about 2 or 3 per cent of it increases the
| candlepower from 16 to 20. Mixed with
natural gas about or s per cent is re-
1