276 Mr. A. H. Church on the Spheroidal State of Bodies. 



Another instance of the assumption of the spheroidal state 

 has been often noticed. It occurs when rather is placed on the 

 surface of boiling water. Now^ if a fixed inorganic acid be dis- 

 solved in the ?etlier, and the water be coloured with litmus^ no 

 reddening of the latter will take place as long as the iBther 

 remains in the spheroidal state. The acidulated sethcr and the 

 tinted water cannot, therefore, be in communication ; they are 

 separated by a film of air or of vapour. 



I pass on to notice in as few words as possible the remainder 

 of my experiments. I have remarked that in certain circum- 

 stances spheroidal globules form upon the surface of liquids 

 during the processes of filtration and distillation. The pha;no- 

 menon to which I refer is exhibited by many liquids, more fre- 

 quently and conspicuously perhaps by those that are the more 

 volatile. I have observed it with alcohol, water, aqueous and 

 alcoholic solutions, syrup, with essential oils and many other 

 organic substances. I have sometimes, however, found consi- 

 derable difficulty in its reproduction, and will therefore describe 

 in detail a method which is applicable in most cases for obtaining 

 in this manner an example of the spheroidal state. We will 

 employ a particular instance. If we take cymole, a hydrocarbon 

 belonging to the benzole series, and half fill a bottle two or more 

 inches in diameter with it, placing in the neck of the bottle a 

 perforated cork through which passes a funnel-tube filled with 

 cymole, and having a piece of sheet Indian-rubber stretched 

 over its mouth, we shall find that on adjusting the funnel-tube 

 till its lower extremity is rather less than half an inch from the 

 surface of the liquid in the bottle, and on letting fall a drop of 

 cymole from it, beautiful spheroidal globules will be formed and 

 roll about for some time, scarcely diminishing in size. This 

 experiment may be performed with great advantage if the cymole 

 be warmed first. An ordinary funnel with a filter may be sub- 

 stituted for the funnel-tube, and will answer well if the lower 

 aperture of the funnel has a diameter of about 'IS of an inch. 

 The experiment may be repeated with other materials with 

 similar effects. That the spheroids are not in contact with the 

 surfaces on which they roll, may be proved by saturating the 

 liquid in the tube with something that shall have a visible effect 

 upon a substance dissolved in the liquid in the bottle. A beau- 

 tiful illusti-ation of this occurs when, under conditions similar to 

 those before mentioned, we employ in the funnel-tube a solution 

 of sugar containing sulphocyanide of potassium, and in the bottle a 

 solution of sugar coutainingsesquichlorideof iron; noredeoloration 

 takes place until the coalescence of the spheroids with the liquid 

 beneath them. Many other chemical reactions may be made 

 use of with similar results. It is very curious to see a solution 



