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 LIII. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, PARIS. 



Un the 1 6th of June the following New Observations on oxy- 

 genated Water, by M.Thenard, were read before the Academy. 



In the observations on oxygenated water which 1 last had the 

 honour of submitting to the Academy, I endeavoured to prove 

 that water saturated with oxygen contains exactly twice as much 

 oxygen as jjure water ; or, in other words, that pure water at a 

 temperature of zero, and under a pressure of 0"76 metre, can ab- 

 sorb 616 times its volume of this gas. At the same time I stated 

 the physical properties of this new liquid, and the phsenomena 

 produced by its contact with various mineral bodies. Since then 

 I have examined its action on almost all mineral substances, and 

 also on many vegetable and animal bodies. I will not now state 

 all the results, but will mention one which seems worthy of at- 

 tention ; namely, that several animal substances are, like plati- 

 num, gold, silver, Sjc, capable of disengaging the oxygen from 

 oxygenated water, without undergoing any alteration, at least 

 when the liquid is diluted with distilled water. 



I diluted pure oxygenated water in such a manner that it con- 

 tained eight times its volume of oxygen. Of this I passed 22 

 measures into a tube filled with quicksilver ; and then I intro- 

 duced a little fibrin, quite white, and recently extracted from the 

 blood. Instantly the oxygen began to separate from the water, 

 and the quicksilver in the tube sunk. At the end of six minutes 

 the water was completely de-oxygenated, and would no longer 

 effervesce with oxide of silver. The gas disengaged was 176 

 measures; that is, as much as the liquid contained; and was en- 

 tirely free from carbonic acid and azote. It was pure oxygen. 

 When the same fibrin was placed in contact with fresh portions 

 of oxygenated water, it acted in the same manner. 



Oxygen is not disengaged from water, even much oxygenated, 

 by urea, by liquid or solid albumen, or by gelatin ; but the tissue 

 of the lungs, in thin slices and well washed, that of the kidneys 

 and of the spleen, expel the oxygen with as much facility as fi- 

 brin. The skin and veins have the same property, but in a less 

 degree. 



As the tissue of the lungs, the spleen, the kidney, like gold, 

 platinum, silver, &c. possess the property of expelling the oxy- 

 gen from oxygenated water, it is very probable that all these ef- 

 fects are attributable to the same force. Would it then be unrea- 

 sonable to ascribe all animal and vegetable secretions to the same 

 force? I think not. In this way we may conceive how an or- 

 gan, without absorbing any thing — without giving oflf any thing 



— may 



