244 ANNUAL OF SCIKMTIF1G IMriL'O VERY. 



to the properties of steam evolved from water in a spheroidal state, 

 or evolved at the instant contact with the water and boiler is resumed. 

 This has been called highly explosive steam. It is conceived that in 

 some way the mass of water in a boiler becomes separated from the 

 interior surface of the metal, as in the experiments of Leidenfrost, and 

 that upon cooling down to about 300 F. contact is resumed, and from 

 the sudden evolution of steam explosions result. But any boiler of 

 'ordinary strength would sustain any pressure which could be exerted 

 from any amount of steam produced within its own walls at a temper- 

 ature of 300 F., and, by conditions supposed, water in the boiler has 

 been already more highly heated, else it could not have been cooled 

 flown to this temperature ; a higher heat must have subjected the boiler 

 to greater pressure, and yet that pressure was sustained. Editors. 



In some experiments made at Paris during the past year, it has been 

 observed that, if the hand be first moistened with ether, it may bo 

 plunged into boiling water with impunity. Ibid. 



THEORY OF THE SPHEROIDAL STATE OF BODIES. 



M. BOUTIGNY has presented to the French Academy a paper on the 

 theory of the spheroidal state of bodies,* from which the following is 

 an extract. " The diversity of opinion existing as to the cause of the 

 tendency of bodies to assume the spheroidal state, induced me to rnako 

 the following experiments. I rolled in a spiral form a platinum wire 

 of O m .001 in diameter, so as to make a sort of sieve with continuous 

 circular meshes. I then poured into this vessel water, alcohol, and 

 ether successively; and, as may be supposed, these three liquids ran 

 through the meshes of the vessel. This fact ascertained, I made the 

 vessel red-hot, and repeated the experiment ; but the liquids no longer 

 passed through the meshes of the sieve, but could actually be removed 

 from place to place, as if in a close vessel. As to the alcohol and 

 ether, I observed that the vapor they generated (its density being con- 

 siderably higher than that of the air) formed an equilibrium, up to a 

 certain point, with the ascending current of hot air produced by the 

 high temperature of the vessel, and this vapor, escaping through the 

 meshes of the vessel, ignited above and below ; thus the spheroid of 

 liquid became interposed between the bases of two cones of flame. 

 Thence it is clear that the vapor, escaping freely and uniformly from 

 the whole surface of the spheroid, would not be adequate to produce a 

 reaction sufficient to neutralize the influence of gravity, and to main- 

 tain the spheroid beyond the sphere of physical and chemical activity. 

 In repeating the preceding experiment with iodine, it is still more 

 conclusive. The lower cone of flame is replaced by a beautiful column 

 of violet vapor, which falls through the meshes of the sieve, immedi- 

 ately underneath the spheroid of iodine. These experiments appear 

 to me to establish fully the existence of this mysterious repellent power 

 which neutralizes the action of gravity." Moniteur Industriel. 



This paper has been made the subject of a report from Babinet, 



* See Annual of Scientific Disco-eery, 1S30, p. 196. 



