which they were turned up, so as to rest on their mouths on the bottom
of the vessel. Having next put some ether into a very small matrass,
with its neck a b c, twice bent as in the Plate, I plunged this
matrass into the water, so as to have its neck inserted into the mouth
of one of the bottles F. Immediately upon feeling the effects of the
heat communicated to it by the water in the vessel ABCD it began to
boil; and the caloric entering into combination with it, changed it into
elastic aeriform fluid, with which I filled several bottles
successively, F, G, &c.
This is not the place to enter upon the examination of the nature and
properties of this aeriform fluid, which is extremely inflammable; but,
confining myself to the object at present in view, without anticipating
circumstances, which I am not to suppose the reader to know, I shall
only observe, that the ether, from this experiment, is almost only
capable of existing in the aeriform state in our world; for, if the
weight of our atmosphere was only equal to between 20 and 24 inches of
the barometer, instead of 28 inches, we should never be able to obtain
ether in the liquid state, at least in summer; and the formation of
ether would consequently be impossible upon mountains of a moderate
degree of elevation, as it would be converted into gas immediately upon
being produced, unless we employed recipients of extraordinary strength,
together with refrigeration and compression. And, lastly, the
temperature of the blood being nearly that at which ether passes from
the liquid to the aeriform state, it must evaporate in the primae viae,
and consequently it is very probable the medical properties of this
fluid depend chiefly upon its mechanical effect.
These experiments succeed better with nitrous ether, because it
evaporates in a lower temperature than sulphuric ether. It is more
difficult to obtain alkohol in the aeriform state; because, as it
requires 67 (182.75 ) to reduce it to vapour, the water of the bath
must be almost boiling, and consequently it is impossible to plunge the
hands into it at that temperature.
It is evident that, if water were used in the foregoing experiment, it
would be changed into gas, when exposed to a temperature superior to
that at which it boils. Although thoroughly convinced of this, Mr de la
Place and myself judged it necessary to confirm it by the following
direct experiment. We filled a glass jar A, (Plate VII. Fig. 5.) with
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