OXYGEN 467 



described in my patent of January 27, 1860, I then scraped or peeled it off by suitable 

 means. 



' At first, as before stated, my attention was solely directed to the attainment of a 

 speedily-drying, flexible varnish at a moderate temperature, but very few experiments 

 with this oxidised oil led me to notice its rubber-like qualities, which I at once con- 

 ceived might, with further manipulation, and with some combinations, be developed 

 more fully, and become a very valuable substitute for that article. 



' Encouraged by success at every step, I proceeded, and soon found that by crushing 

 tho solid oxidised oil obtained in sheets as described in my patent, and working it 

 thoroughly in hot mixing rolls, I produced a substance which required only the 

 cohesive nature, which in the early part of this paper we noticed as existing so 

 strongly in india-rubber. The addition of a small proportion of shellac soon gave 

 that which was wanting, and I found in my power a material singularly like caout- 

 chouc when worked into dough, and which could be rolled on to fabrics in the same 

 manner and with the same facility giving a perfect waterproof cloth, unlike oil-cloth, 

 but having the rubber finish and flexibility. Pigments could easily be added to give 

 colour ; the addition of resins gave other, or rather varied proportions of adhesion, 

 useful as affording the means of uniting fabrics as by rubber. Fibre, whether flock 

 or cork, mixed in and rolled into sheets, gave me samples of kamptulicon and other 

 floor-cloths. 



' Not only has this singular product been thus assimilated to rubber for uses on 

 fabrics, or combined with fibre for floor-cloths, but it is capable of being worked with 

 pigment and vulcanised exactly as india-rubber has been, and forms a hard compound, 

 like vulcanite and ebonite, excepting that the sulphur is not necessary.' 



This preparation has not yet found a place amongst manufactures, and the list of 

 applications given in the last Edition is no longer useful. 



OXYGESff (Oxygene, Fr. ; Sauerstoff, Ger.) is a permanent gas, and is best ob- 

 tained by heating a mixture of chlorate of potash and binoxide of manganese, when 

 the chlorate is decomposed into oxygen and chloride of potassium, KC1O = KC1 + s . 

 Oxygen may be obtained from binoxide of manganese alone by tho action of heat ; 

 but in this case, when used with chlorate of potash, the binoxido seems only to act in 

 moderating the evolution of oxygen from the chlorate. When chlorate of potash 

 alone is used, the evolution of gas does not commence so soon, and often is given off 

 rather suddenly at first, and may cause the fracture of the glass vessel. 



Oxygen was first discovered by Dr. Priestley in England, and Scheele in Sweden, in 

 1774, about the same time, but independently of each other. Dr. Priestley called it 

 dephlogisticated air, and Scheele empyreal air. It was Lavoisier who gave it the name 

 of oxygen, from the idea that it was the acidifying principle in all acids (from <5|us, 

 acid, and 7ewao>. I beget, or give rise to); but this name has of late years been shown 

 to be a false one. Oxygen may be obtained from several substances, viz. by heating 

 red oxide of mercury, HgO = Hg + ; or by heating three parts of bichromate of potash 

 with four parts of oil of vitriol in a glass retort. The products in the latter case are 

 sulphate of potash, sulphate of chromium, water, and oxygen. 



Oxygen is colourless, odourless, tasteless, incombustible, but the most powerful 

 agent in maintaining combustion. According to Eegnault, 100 cubic inches of this 

 gas weigh, at 60 Fahr. and barometer at 30 inches, 34-19 grains, and its specific 

 gravity is 1-1056. According to Ber/elius and Dulong, its sp. gr. is 1-1026. 



Of all known substances oxygen is the most abundant in nature, for it constitutes 

 at least three-fourths of the known terraqueous globe. Water contains eight-ninths 

 of its weight of oxygen ; and the solid crust of our globe probably consists of at least 

 one-third part by weight of this principle ; for silica, carbonate of lime, and alumina, 

 the three most abundant constituents of tho earth's strata contain each about 

 one-half their weight of oxygen. Oxygen also constitutes about twenty per cent, 

 by volume, or about twenty-three per cent, by weight, of the atmosphere ; and it is 

 an essential constituent of all living beings. Plants, in the sunlight, absorb carbonic 

 acid, decompose it keeping the carbon and liberating the oxygen ; while animals, 

 on the other hand, absorb oxygen and give off carbonic acid. Oxygen is the great 

 supporter of combustion ; substances which burn in air burn with greatly-increased 

 brilliancy in pure oxygen. Several propositions have been made to produce intense 

 light by the use of pure oxygen gas, in the place of atmospheric air. The Drummond 

 Light, tho Bude Light, Fitzmaurice's Light, and others, employ oxygen in combination 

 with hydrogen or carburetted hydrogen at the moment of entering into combustion ; 

 and some of these bring in the additional aid of a solid incandescent body, as lime, 

 to increase the intensity of the illuminating power. The useful employment of any of 

 these plans appears to depend upon the production of oxygen by some cheaper process 

 than any at present employed. 



ii H 2 



