PROPERTIES OF OXYGEN. 81 



Hydrogen . . 46'2 cubic inches . = 1 grain. 



Oxygen . . 23 1 . . = 8 grains. 



Water (steam) . 6 9 '3 . . = 9 grains. 



Now Mr. Anderson has prepared some oxygen, 

 and we will proceed to examine what is the 

 character of this gas. First of all you remem- 

 ber I told you that it does not burn, but that it 

 affects the burning of other bodies. I will just 

 set fire to the point of this little bit of wood, 

 and then plunge it into the jar of oxygen, and 

 you will see what this gas does in increasing the 

 brilliancy of the combustion. It does not burn, 

 it does not take fire as the hydrogen would, but 

 how vividly the combustion of the match goes 

 on. Again, if I were to take this wax taper 

 and light it, and turn it upside down in the air, 

 it would in all probability put itself out, owing 

 to the wax running down into the wick. [The 

 Lecturer here turned the lighted taper upside 

 down, when in a few seconds it went out.] Now 

 that will not happen in oxygen gas ; you will 

 see how differently it acts (fig. 26). [The taper 

 was again lighted, turned upside down, and then 

 introduced into a jar of oxygen.] Look at that ! 

 see how the very wax itself burns, and falls down 

 a 



