Appl'icatlon of the Bloiu-pipe. 305 



when fubjetSted to the c^i^eous flame on carbon, became 

 quickly fufed into an oblate fpheroid as fluid as mercury. 

 This fpheroid, after beins cooled, was expofed as before. Jt 

 became fluid in Icfs than"lhe fourth of a minute. 



Had I fiifiicient confidence in my own judgment, I fliouli 

 declare, that gold, filver, and platina, were thrown into a 

 ftate of ebullition by expofure on carbon to the gafeous flame; 

 for the pieces of charcoal on which they were expofed became 

 wadied or cilt with detached particles of metal in the parts 

 adjoining the fpots where the expofure took place. Some of 

 the panicles of the metal thus detached exhibited fymptoms 

 of oxidation. 



As the fufion of lime and magnefia by expofure on carbon 

 was accompli Qied with great difficulty and uncertainty, it 

 became dcfiruble that means might be difcovared of effetling 

 this fufion with greater eafe. 



By the union of the bafe of oxygen with iron, the whole 

 of the caloric of this claftic fluid is iuppofed to be extricated. 

 This confideration, together' with fome practical remarks on 

 the heat of burning iron, induced me to employ the com- 

 bnflion of this metal in conjun6lion with that of the hy- 

 drogen and oxygen gafes. 



Some pieces of iron wire, each of about half an inch ia 

 length, were quickly thrown into fufion and rapid combuf- 

 tion bv expofure on carbon to the gafeous flame. When 

 either lime, mairnefia, barytes, alumine, or filex, were thrown 

 on the iron in tliis itate, they became inftanlly melted and 

 incorporated with the metal. It remains a quefiion whether 

 in this cafe the earths were fufed or diflblved, and whether 

 the fubftances which refultcd from their union with the iron 

 were mixtures or combinations. If they were combinations, 

 according to the prcfent nomenclature, they fliould be deno- 

 minated fcrrurcls. 



The difficulty of igniting fome fubftances which are only 

 fufceplible of combuftion at very high degrees of heat, has 

 hitherto excluded them from the laboratory. By means of 

 the gafeous flame, fuch fubftances may be employed with 

 the grcateft facility in fmall analytical operations. 



Of the nature of the fubftances above dcfcribcd arc the 

 carburets of iron and fome peculiar fpecies of native coaJ. 



Among the carburets of iron, the Englifli plumbago is 

 cftccmed the befi. Some pieces of this iubfiance, obtained 

 from the l)eft Euiilifti black-lead pencils, were readily thrown 

 into coinl)uliion bv expofure to the gafeous flani% cither on 

 carbon or on fome lamer pieces of Air'.erican phimb;igo. It 

 was found that cither lime or magncfia was fufible when 



V(JL. XIV. No. 50. IJ ejipofed 



