OXYGEST 93 



that both heat and light are produced, and we call the 

 process burning. If a glowing ember be thrust into a 

 bottle of pure oxygen, the ember at once ignites and 

 burns vigorously. Charcoal, which barely glows in 

 the air, will glow intensely with an almost invisible 

 flame in the oxygen. Sulphur, which burns with 

 a pale blue flame in the air, burns with a brilliant blue 

 flame in oxygen. Even a steel watch spring, or a ball 

 of steel wool, if dipped in sulphur and ignited and 

 then thrust into a jar of oxygen, will burn vigorously 

 and throw off brilliant sparks. 



Oxidation. The gas left in the bottle after the 

 burning of the charcoal was carbon dioxide, a color- 

 less gas. The burning sulphur left behind a colorless 

 gas, called sulphur dioxide; and the burning steel 

 threw off the brilliant sparks which formed molten 

 globules of oxide of iron. From these statements it is 

 apparent that oxygen Combined with the various ele- 

 ments, carbon, sulphur, and iron, to form oxides of 

 these substances. In fact, oxygen combines with all 

 but a very few of the known elements. The process 

 of the union of oxygen with some other element or com- 

 pound is called oxidation, 



The product resulting from oxidation is a compound 

 called an oxide. 



The above chemical phenomena may be expressed as 

 follows : 



Carbon -j- oxygen = carbon dioxide 

 C + 2 X O = CO 2 



