The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-25
liquid 6ydroOsll
One q tbe most astounding
OF Retent Seientifie UDeaaess.


London, June 24-The Times thus de-
scribes liquid hydrogen. now first txhib-
Tied outside the laboratory: The second
lecture in connection with the celebration
Of the Royal Institutions centenary was
given last night at Albemarie street by
Professor Dewar. and the occasion viii be
remembered by all who were present as
the first at which liquid hydfogen-at once
the nghtest and the coolest liquid ever
| known TO exist-was seen outside the Ia
boratory, and in such substantial guam
titles that vessels full OF II were handed
| round for inspection. The Duke Of North
cumberland presided. and the numerous au-
dience included most Of the new honor
airy members, together with Lord Kelvin.
| Lord Rsyleigh. Sir George Stokes, Sir
Frederick Bramwell, Sir Edward Frank
land, Sir William Crookes. Sir J. ". Btr-
~. Sir james Crichton-Browne, Sir W.
H. Preece, Sir W. Roberts-Austen. Sir
| Frederick Abel. Sir Andrew Noble, Sir
| Alexander c. McKeezie. Sir Hetry Nance,
DR.. J. II. Gladstone, Mr.. A. Siemani. DR..
Johnotone Stoney. and DR.. Ludwig Mond.
Professor Dewar said he did not intend
| to take any long flight into the great
work Of the Royal Institution in the past,
since that mad already been done by his
| colleagues. His object was rather TO in
| troduce his audience to a new instrument
| OF research-that was to say. TO liquid
hydrogen. This he exhibited boiling gen.
| tly In a vacuum tube immersed IN liquid
air. the access OF heat being by this pre-
caution greatly impeded. They would no
~
there appeared a whitish deposit. This
consisted Of solid air, and 1t was IMPOSE
sible to avoid It's presence, because imme-
diately the eotaon wool plug was remov-
ed from a vessel Of liquid hydrogen the
air of the atmosphere came under the In
| fiuence Of sol ow a temperature as TO be
at once frozen solid.
To prove that the liquid he was manip-
ulating with such freedom was really
| liquid hydrogen. Professor Dewar put a
light 10 small quantity, brilliant burst
| of flame being the prompt result. OF fits
| exceedingly small density he gave an idea
| by showing that light material like cork
would not float on its surface. but sank TO
the bottom as IL it were lead. The low
ness of its temperature he illustrated by
/
body emersed in 1t for a short time was
shown 10 become so cold that the air
| round It was Hquefied, and ran of in
| drops, while. when a tube containing
liquid air was plunged into It, quickly be-
| came solid, and when lifted out ii could
be seen. as heat was absorbed. to assume
| first the liquid and then the gaseous form
| A sponge Of porous material, soaked in
| liquid hydrogen. and brought into a mag
| netic field. apparently behaved as II 1t
| were magnetic. That, however. was due
| to the condensation of the oxygen OF the
| air, which OF course was magnetic. and
| though an observer might in this way be
| easily deceived into thinking hydrogen
magnetic, Professor Dewar said he was
satisfied that 1t was nearly neutral or dia-
| magnetic.
Speaking Of the real temperature Of this
| liquid. he said II was q degrees on the
absolute scale. 1t had taken him nearly a
| year to come to definite conclusion on
that point because he could not get any
| two thermometers to agree. Pure plati-
mum resistance thermometers gave IS de-
| grees absolute (or 23S degrees below zero
Centigrade). one OF platinum-rhodium a.
| 10y "a degrees. while hydrogen itself In q
| gas thermometer gave q degrees. a read
| ing nearly identical with one obtained
| with a German silver electrical thermOm-
| eter. The last part of the lecture was
| devoted 20 the extraordinary low vacua
| obtainable by the use OF liquid hydrogen.
| Thus by imme1sing one end Of a closed
| tube in II for a short time and then seal
| ing II off in the middle. a vacuum was
formed in the upper part which was sub
stantially perfect. as was shown by the
fact that the electrical charge could not
| be made to pass. In conclusion. Profess
sor Dewar, after exhibiting several other
beautiful experiments, including one to a.
| lustrate the rapidity with which gases
were discharged into a vacuum, claimed
that the liquefactton Of hydrogen was
| triumph for theory not less than for prac-
tice.
| Lord Kelvin. In moving a vote of thanks
| to Professor Dewar for his brilliant, beau
| tiful and splendidly interesting lecture
said that II those present wished 10 mea-
sure the Importance Of the occasion, let
| them think what Count Runford. or
| Davy. or Faraday would have thought
| could they have been present. They
| could not have hoped for their scientific
dreams and prophecies to be so splendidig
verified within the century. The end OF
| experiment in research at low tempera-
| lures had by no mans been reached, and
| perhaps in a few years substance yet un-
known and more refractory than hydro
gen would have been found which would
bring the experimental 70 within FIVE de-
4 grees OF the absolute zero.