by Means of the Diamond. §1 
Which made at firft only 0°07 of volume, while thé lait por+ 
tions contained 0°12. The iron on this occafioh was con+ 
verted into fteel, and even the fragments had united by 2 
commencement of fufion, CEN a 
Tt was very probable that a part of the carbonic acid, col- 
Jeéted in this operation, might have been formed at the ex- 
pence of the remaining carbon and with difengaged oxygen ; 
_ but the conftant prefence of the hydrogen only ferved to in 
dicate the difficulty of freeing the carbon entirely from the 
laft portion! of water it contained. I fhall here take occafion 
to obferve, that this expetiment feems not at all reconcile- 
able with the opinion of fome chemifts, that hydrogen has 
more affinity than carbon for oxygeu: an opinion which 
they found on this circumftance, that carbon ig precipitated, 
‘in Volta’s eudiometer, when a mixture of oxygen gas and 
carbonated hydrogen gas is made to detonate; if a quantity 
of oxygen fufficient to acidify the two bafes has not been 
employed. I fay, that this affinity was not exerted in my 
experiment: for it cannot be doubted that the temperature 
was high enough to reproduce water by the union of the 
oxygen and hydrogen; and we can here fee nothing which 
could decide a preference of the oxygen for the carbons _ 
Thefe confiderations feemed to me fufficient to create a 
néw intereft in regard to the experiment propofed by C. 
Clouet. I did not hefitate; therefore, to employ in it one 
of the diamonds preferved in the cabinet of the Polytechnic 
fehool; actording to the leave granted by the Council; being 
perfuaded that if it difappeared in the operation, merely by 
expofure to a high temperature, in contaét with iron, without 
the acceflion.of the air or any other oxygenating fubftance, 
the fact thereby eftablifhed would leave no room to regret 
haying facrificed it. 
‘Citizen Clouet had himfelf prepared 4 fmiall crucible cf 
foft iron, forged on purpofe out of picked heads of nails. Tts 
form was a folid of eight planes. (Plate Il. fig. 3). It was fhut 
by a ftopper of the fame iron well adjufted. (Fig. 4.) 
This crucible was to be placed in a Heffian crucible, fur- 
nifhed with a cover well hated. ‘This was all the appa- 
ratus for the experiment, I cannot give a better idea of the 
: ,N2 refujt 
