APPENDIX. 349 



TABLE XIV. 



Constitution of the Atmosphere. 



Dumas and Boussingaiilt analyzed atmospheric air by fixing its oxygen 

 on copper, which was weighed ; the azote was also collected and 

 weighed. 



1000 parts of air at Paris contained by weight : — 



Oxygen. Azote. 



April 27, fair weather, 229.2 770-8 



" " " " 229.2 770.8 



" 28, " " 230.3 769.7 



" " " " 230.9 769.1 



" 29, '' " 230.3 769.7 



" " " " 230.4 769.6 



May 29, rainy, 230.1 769.9 



July 20, mid-day, rainy, 230.5 769.5 



« 21, midnight, clear, 230.0 770.0 



" 26, mid-day, clear, 230.7 769.3 



Mean, 230.2 769.8 



By volume, 208 792=1000 



Consumption of Oxygen and Formation of Carbonic Acid. 



From experiments of Dumas on himself, it appears that about twenty 

 cubic inches were received into the lungs at each inspiration,- and from 

 fifteen to seventeen inspirations per minute. The expired air contained 

 from three to four per cent, of carbonic acid, and had lost from four to 

 six per cent, of oxygen. These data, for each day of twenty-four hours, 

 give, 



16 insp. X 20 cubic inches = 320 cubic inches expired per minute. 



19,200 " " " hour. 



460,800 " " " day 



