
EXPERIMENTS WITH SALINE SOLUTIONS 251 
Of these two the latter has principally been em- 
ployed, as I have only more recently made some 
trials with the former solution. 
In speaking of the results obtained in the different 
experiments now about to be detailed, as well as in 
those to be recorded in the next Chapter, it will be 
convenient to refer to the solutions merely by the 
capital letters by which they are preceded. 
I at first made some tentative experiments in 
which the vessels were not hermetically sealed. 
Small two-ounce flasks were employed, provided 
with new corks. The flasks were not /lamdes ; 
they were simply cleaned with distilled water. A 
small wedge-like portion was cut out from the lower 
border of each cork, so that when the flask was 
charged with its experimental fluid and was being 
heated the cork might be, in a measure, purified by 
the steam issuing from the flask. This was brought 
about by placing the cork loosely in the neck of the 
flask, so as to allow the steam to find an exit 
between it and the nick in the cork. When the 
solution had boiled for the requisite time, and while 
still boiling, the neck of the flask was grasped with 
a large wooden forceps, while the cork was firmly 
pressed home. In vessels so prepared I have seen 
ebullition continue for six or seven minutes, when a 
cold object was applied to the upper part of the 
flask. Later on, air makes its way into the flask, 
either through the cork or in minutest bubbles 
between it and the neck of the flask, as may be 
seen on examination with a lens. This method 
