124 ^^ I^HE ABSOftPTION OF OASSES BY WATER. 



tnents in which he has long been envfa^ed ; and I have re- 

 quested his permission to communicate to you the results, 

 perguaded that you will consider them extremely interest- 

 ing. 

 Influence of The experiments of which I speak have for their object 

 nShms ?he'" ^'^ *^^^ ^""^^ P^*^^ ^^^ influence of time on the exercise of che- 

 eiasicity of mical actions, when these actions tend to deprive an elastic 

 fluids. flui^j of its elasticity. 



Oxigen gasab 1. Into a flint s^iass phial, the stopple of which was ground 

 ter. ^ ^ ^'^* ^'^*^ emery, and litted perfectly tight, Mr. de Marty intro- 

 duced a certain v]uantity of oxigen gas, and a certain quan- 

 titj^ of rain water, boiled or unboiled. Supposing there is 

 but a small quantity of water, on shaking the bottle for a 

 few minutes' a certain portion of the gas will be absorbed, as 

 may be found by opening it under water. After it has been 

 thus shaken and opened several times, the water in the phial 

 will be saturated, and absorb no more. 

 Left standing When things are in this state stop the bottle close, and 

 vessel' m^ore^*^ put it away in a place shaded from the sun, observing at the 

 will be absorb- same time the state of the barometer and thermometer. 

 *'*• After it has stood thus two or three days, shake the bottle 



again, open it under water, and you will find the water rise 

 into it a little. Stop the bottle, put it into its place, and 

 shake it in the same manner from time to time. You will 

 always find a fresh quantity of gas absorbed, and the eflf'ect 

 will be the more perceptible, the longer you leave the phial 

 before you make the experiment. 

 In 18 months I niyself was witness to these eFects. Mr. de Marty had 

 ^f^^J*^^ ^"''^ the civility, to open under water before me a phial, that had 

 absorbed. been kept stopped for more than a year and half, and which 



contained oxigen gas with a small quantity of water. The 

 water rose in it very perceptibly, and the absorption appear- 

 ed to me e'jual at least to half the quantity of the water, 

 that the bottle contained before it was opened. The baro- 

 meter and thermometer were both nearly at the same height 

 as when the bottle had been set by, and the water in the 

 trough was at the same tempemture. 

 At first the gus From this expenment it appears, that the same volume 

 combiiies lee- ^f water, which at first was able to absorb only a certain 

 portion of oxigen, absorbed by the assistancsof time a more 



considerable 



