

REMARKS ON COMBUSTION. t#J 



pafled through it. But this procefs has no refemblance to 

 combuftion. We lee, however, that a certain temperature is 

 capable of producing this change in air. 



8. Several of the fupporters and partial fupporters are ca- Supporters, &c* 

 pable of combining with combuftibles, without undergoing de- m . a y combine 



r - , •, • • , r l n- t Wlth combuf- 



compontion, or exhibiting the phenomena ot combultion. In tibles without 



this manner the yellow oxide of gold and the white oxide of combuftion, and 

 filver combine with ammonia; the red oxide of mercury with nat } n g C6 i,p oun j St 

 oxalic acid ; and oximuriatic acid with ammonia. Thus alfo 

 nitre and oximuriate of potafh may be combined, or at leaf! 

 intimately mixed with feveral combuftible bodies, as in gun- 

 powder, &c. In all thefe compounds the oxigen of the fup- 

 porter and the combuftible retain the ingredients which ren- 

 der them fufceptible of combuftion ; hence the compound is 

 ftill combuftible : And in confequence of the intimate combi- 

 nation of the component parts, the leaft alteration is apt to de- 

 ftroy the equilibrium which fubfifts between them ; the con- 

 fequence is, combuftion and the formation of a new compound. 

 Hence thefe compounds burn with amazing facility, not only 

 when heated, but when triturated or ftruck fmartly with a 

 hammer. They have therefore received the name of deto- 

 nating or fulminating bodies. Thus we have fulminating gold, 

 fulminating filver, fulminating mercury, fulminating pow- 

 der, &c. 



9. Such are the properties of the combuftibles, the fupport- 

 ers, and the products j and fuch the phenomena which they 

 exhibit when made to act upon each other. 



If we compare together the fupporters and the produ&s, we Supporters and 



fliall find that they referable each other in feveral refpeas. Pf od . uas refem * 

 J % *■ ble in many rc- 



Both of them contain oxigen as an effential conftituent part ; fpcfts 5 

 both are capable of converting combuftibles into produces ; 

 and feveral of both combine with combuftibles and with addi- 

 tional dofes of oxigen. But they differ widely from each other 

 in the phenomena which accompany their action on com- 

 buftibles. The fupporters convert thefe bodies into produces, but they differ 

 and combuftion, or the emiffion of heat and light at the fame ^]l in their 



, , , ift 1 n-ii eftedt on com- 



time, takes place ; whereas the products convert combuftibles buftibles. The 

 into produces without any fuch emiilion. Now, as the ultimate f° rn "' e r only pro- 

 change produced upon combuftibles by both thefe fets of t j on , 

 bodies is the fame, and as the fubftance which combines with 

 the combuftibles is in both cafes the fame, namely oxigen, we 

 4f muft 



