PHLOGISTON THEORY IN CHEMISTRY 



atmosphere influenced considerably the real founders, 

 Becker and Stahl. 



Boyle gave very definitely his idea of how he thought 

 air might be composed. "I conjecture that the at- 

 mospherical air consists of three different kinds of cor- 

 puscles," he says; "the first, those numberless par- 

 ticles which, in the form of vapors or dry exhalations, 

 ascend from the earth, water, minerals, vegetables, 

 animals, etc. ; in a word, whatever substances are ele- 

 vated by the celestial or subterraneal heat, and thence 

 diffused into the atmosphere. The second may be yet 

 more subtle, and consist of those exceedingly minute 

 atoms, the magnetical effluvia of the earth, with other 

 innumerable particles sent out from the bodies of the 

 celestial luminaries, and causing, by their influence, 

 the idea of light in us. The third sort is its character- 

 istic and essential property, I mean permanently 

 elastic parts. Various hypotheses may be framed re- 

 lating to the structure of these later particles of the 

 air. They might be resembled to the springs of 

 watches, coiled up and endeavoring to restore them- 

 selves; to wool, which, being compressed, has an 

 elastic force; to slender wires of different substances, 

 consistencies, lengths, and thickness; in greater curls 

 or less, near to, or remote from each other, etc., yet 

 all continuing springy, expansible, and compressible. 

 Lastly, they may also be compared to the thin shav- 

 ings of different kinds of wood, various in their lengths, 

 breadth, and thickness. And this, perhaps, will seem 

 the most eligible hypothesis, because it, in some 

 measure, illustrates the production of the elastic par- 

 ticles we are considering. For no art or curious in- 



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