CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 221 



being due to the peculiar property of their albumen, the temperature 

 of which may be reduced to 16 F., or much lower, without freezing, 

 although its proper freezing-point is at or just below 32. Other than 

 fresh eggs lose heat comparatively slowly, but freeze as soon as their 

 temperature is reduced to 32. At the instant of beginning to freeze, 

 the temperature of fresh eggs rises from 16 or lower to 32- Exper- 

 iment shows that this peculiarity is not due to the vital properties of 

 fresh eggs, while it is probable that it is due to the mechanical prop- 

 erties of the albumen, for whatever makes it more liquid than it nat- 

 urally is destroys the power of resisting freezing. Eggs kept at tem- 

 peratures ranging from zero to 10 were afterwards developed in incu- 

 bation. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Jan. 24. 



ON CERTAIN CONDITIONS OF FREEZING WATER. 



IN a recent lecture before the Royal Institution, Mr. Faraday stated 

 that water in freezing entirely expels all coloring matters, both salts 

 and alkalies. Solutions of sulphate of indigo, diluted sulphuric acid, 

 and diluted ammonia were partially frozen in glass test-tubes ; as soon 

 as the operation had been carried on sufficiently long to produce an 

 icy lining of each tube, the unfrozen liquid was poured out and the 

 ice dislodged. This ice in every case was found perfectly colorless, 

 and, when dissolved, perfectly free from acid or alkali, although the 

 unfrozen liquid exhibited in the first experiment a more intense blue 

 color, in the second a stronger acid, and in the third a more powerful 

 alkaline reaction, than the liquor which was put into the freezing mix- 

 ture. Mr. Faraday also devised a method for making this ice perfectly 

 clear and transparent as well as colorless, by continually stirring the 

 liquid, while freezing, \vith a feather. In this way the globules of air 

 were brushed away as they were dislodged from the freezing fluid, and 

 thus prevented from becoming imbedded in the ice. Such ice as is 

 imported into England under the name of the Wenham Lake ice, he 

 regarded as one of the purest natural substances. Having noticed the 

 rapidity with which water absorbs air as soon as it is thawed, he called 

 attention to the importance of this natural arrangement to aquatic 

 plants and animals, to whose life air is as indispensable as to those 

 which live on land. Mr. Douny has discovered, that water when de- 

 prived of air does not boil until it reaches the temperature of 270 F., 

 and that at that degree of heat it explodes. Mr. Faraday had also 

 found that ice when placed in oil (so as to prevent its receiving any 

 air from the atmosphere on thawing) would explode on reaching the 

 boiling temperature. The extraordinary property of ice in solidifying 

 water which is in contact with it, was also noticed. Two pieces of 

 moist ice will consolidate into one. Hence the property of damp 

 snow to become compacted into a snowball, an effect which cannot be 

 produced on dry, hard frozen snow. Mr. F. suggested that a film of 

 water must possess the property of freezing when placed between two 

 sets of icy particles, though it will not be affected by a single set. 

 Certain substances, as flannel, will also freeze to an icy surface, though 

 other substances, as o-old-leaf, cannot be made to do so. In this freez- 



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