100 Scientific Intelligence. 
others. A drop of water was thrown into a polished silver capsule 
heated to 392° Faur., then carefully. transferred to an oil bath heated 
to 302° Faur., and the water was found to maintain its spheroidal con- 
dition until the temperature of the bath descended to 288° Faur. ; then 
it moistened the surface and evaporated rapidly. This then has been 
found to be the lowest temperature at which water maintains the sphe- 
roidal state. If the quantity of water consisted of several drops, its 
sphericity was lost at 308°. It has been ascertained that the lowest 
point at which alcohol and ether retain the same form, bears the same 
Proportion to their boiling point, as 308° does to the point of ebullition 
of water,—it being 272° for alcohol, and 142° Fanr. for ether. An- 
hydrous sulphurous acid does not follow this law, but it is not an easy 
substance to experiment with; it however assumes and retains the sphe- 
roidal condition much below the boiling point of water, which is ascer- 
tained by placing a capsule in boiling water and letting the acid fall in- 
to it; a large quantity may thus be made to assume the spheroidal 
shape, but it soon becomes hydrated in absorbing and congealing the 
watery vapor; thus we have the singular phenomenon of the congela- 
tion of the vapor of water in boiling water, 
__ These facts establish that the temperature necessary to cause a body 
to pass to the spherical state, is higher as its boiling point is greater. 
The next series of experiments were to ascertain the law of the evap- 
oration of the water while in its spheroidal condition. At 392° Fanr. 
a grain and a half of water took 3:30 minutes to evaporate ; at ‘752°, 
the same quantity of water was evaporated in 1°31 minutes; at a dull 
red heat, in 1:13 minutes; and at a bright red, in 0:50 minutes,—the 
evaporation increasing with the temperature, which is contrary to the rule 
laid down by Ktarrors on the subject ; but the experiments of the latter 
were made in iron vessels, and the oxidation of the metal interfered with 
the accuracy of the results. As regards the temperature of the body 
while in the spheroidal condition, the author has established the fol- 
lowing general rule: bodies in their spherical condition remain con- 
stantly at a temperature lower than that of their ebullition, without re- 
gard to the temperature of the containing vessel,— 
That of Water being . F ‘ , 206° Faur. 
_ Absolute alcohol, . : ‘ 168° .«: 48 4 
= peer : : : i 109°" + 
**  Chloric ether, ‘ ‘ ‘ 1S pit 
**  Sulphurous acid, . ts aE 
_M. Bourieny has been the first to experiment with sulphurous acid 
thrown on hot surfaces, and his results are exceedingly interesting. 
‘Heat to redness a platinum capsule, and pour into it several grammes 0 
iydrous sulphurous acid. On observing that part of the glass 
