TOUCHWOOD TINDEK-BOX. 99 



in ether, and a v< ry beautiful experiment consists in pouring this 

 photph'iric ether in small portions, and in a dark p'ac-,on the njrface 

 of hot water. The phosphoric matches consist of ph.. phonis ex. 

 trcmrly ('ry. m'nutely dividtd, and perhaps a little oxy<j< n'zi-d. 

 The simplot mo.le. of making them Is to put a liclc phosphorus, 

 dried by blotting paper, into a small phial ; heat the phial, and 

 when the phosphorus is melted turn it round, so that the phosphorus 

 may adhere <o the sides. Cork the phial closely, and it is pre. 

 pared. On putting a common sulphur match into the bottle, and 

 stirring it about, the phosphorus will adhere to the match, and will 

 take fire when brought out into the air. 



The white smoke given forth by phosphorus when exposed to a 

 heat of 1 48, app-ars when collected and examined to be an acid 

 of a peculiar kind, and it is this which is now denominated phos. 

 phoric acid. 



[Pantologia. 4ikin's Chem. Diet. 



_ 



CHAP. VII. 



PNEUMATIC, OR TOUCHWOOD, TINDER-BOX. 



HIS is a most useful, simple, yet curious machine, altogether of 

 modern invention, bearing a near analogy to the phosphoric matches 

 we have described in the preceding chapter; and which may con. 

 sequently be employed for the same purposes. 



TOUCHWOOD is the common, and we may say generic, name, 

 given to a variety of substances that easily take fire, as rotten, 

 wood and agaric, some of which occasionally emit spontaneous 

 light in the dark. 



The most inflammable touchwoods we are acquainted w^th are 

 different species of the fungus called Boletus, such as B. igni. 

 arius, touchwood-spunk, and B. pini Inricis, agaric: and a very 

 curious fact has been lately discovered by the French chemists, 

 in consequence of this combustibility, which may lead to use- 

 ful and important purposes: it is, that if a column of the flesh of 

 either of the above species of boletus (spunk or touchwood) he in. 

 troduced into a syringe, and pressed upon by its common pistoo, 

 * 



