82 CHEMICAL AFFINITY. 



in a dazzling stream of fire, so powerfully does 

 the oxygen support combustion. Again, here is 



Fig. 26. 



another experiment which will serve to illus- 

 trate the force, if I may so call it, of oxygen, 

 I have here a circular flame of spirit of wine, 

 and with it I am about to show you the way in 

 which iron burns, because it will serve very well 

 as a comparison between the effect produced by 

 air and oxygen. If I take this ring flame, I 

 can shake by means of a sieve the fine particles 

 of iron filings through it, and you will see the 

 way in which they burn. ' [The Lecturer here 

 shook through the flame some iron filings which 

 took fire and fell through with beautiful scintil- 

 lations.] But if I now hold the flame over a 

 jar of oxygen [the experiment was repeated over 



