OXY 



OZA 



petals cover a white membranaceous tube, 

 which on its upper part divides into five 

 short filaments, supporting at their 

 points the anthers. This shrub is a na- 

 tive of the forests of Guiana, flowering in 

 February. 



OXYDAT1ON, 7 sometimes spelt 

 OXYGENAT10N, 5 OXIDATION, &c. 

 See OXIDE. See also Murray's " Chemis- 

 try," vol. ii. tor ihe proper use of the se- 

 veral terms. 



OXYDIZEMENT,? terms used by 

 OXYGENIZE, 5 some authors for 

 OXYDATION, OXYGENATION,&C. which 

 see. 



OXYGEN, in chemistry, is one of the 

 most important agents in nature; there 

 is scarcely a single process, either natural 

 or artificial, in which oxygen has not a 

 share, but it is known only in combina- 

 tion with other bodies. " Oxygen," says 

 Mr. Murray, " denotes the solid base or 

 gravitating matter, and oxygen gas is the 

 name given to it, when it exists in the 

 aerial form." There are two vast sources 

 whence oxygen is derived, viz. water 

 and air ; i the former it is condensed in- 

 to the liquid form, and combined with 

 about one-third of its weight of hydro- 

 gen ; in the latter it is united with an 

 azote, and forms about one-fifth of the at- 

 mosphere. Besides these, there are a 

 multitude of other sources, such as 

 many parts of the organized world, vege- 

 table or animal, mineral acids and me- 

 tallic oxides Oxygen has a greater ten- 

 dency to combination, than any other 

 chemical agent. It is necessary to sup- 

 port combustion and during the process 

 it combines with the combustible body. 

 The products are compounds of oxygen, 

 and are both numerous and important 

 agents in chemistry. The acids are of 

 this kind, and their activity is principal- 

 ly dependent on their oxygen, which they 

 yield readily to other bodies, and which, 

 by the dense state in which it exists, is 

 often capable of exerting powerful affini- 

 ties. Ail the metals, likewise, are capa- 

 ble of combining with this principle, 

 from which a number of compounds are 

 formed. See GAS, oxygen. 



OXYGENATED muriatic acid, in che- 

 mistry, is prepared in the following man- 

 ner ; lake equal parts of the oxide of man- 

 ganese, and the red oxide of mercury or 

 lead ; put them into a glass retort, and 

 add four parts of concentrated muriatic 

 acid. This, on distillation, affords a 

 quantity of yellow aeriform fluid, which 

 is oxygenated muriatic gas ; this being 

 agitated with water combines with it, and 



forms oxygenated irmriHtic acid. The gas 

 is yellow and transparent, and possesses 

 a most suffocating smell. It instantly ex- 

 tinguishes flame and animal life; but 

 has been long used tor bleaching. 



OXYGON E, in geometry, is an acute 

 angled figure, or such, each of the angles 

 of which is less than 90. The term is 

 chiefly applied to triangles, where the an- 

 gles are all acute. 



OYER of a deed, in law, is when a man 

 brings an action upon a deed, bond, &c. 

 and the defendant appears and prays that 

 he may hear the bond, &c. wherewith he 

 is charged; and the same shall be allow- 

 ed him. And he is not bound to plead till 

 he has it, paying for the copy of the in- 

 strument. It is then set forth upon the 

 pleadings. 



OVER and TERMINER, in law, is a 

 court, by virtue of the King's commission, 

 to hear and determine all treasons, felo- 

 nies, and misdemeanors. This commission 

 is usually directed to two of the judges of 

 the circuit, and several gentlemen of ihe 

 county ; bui the judges^ only are of the 

 quorum, so that the rest cannot act with- 

 out them. 



OVER of the records, in law, is a petition 

 made in court, that the judges, for more 

 satisfactory proof, will be pleased to hear 

 or look upon any record. 



O YES, corrupted from the French oyez t 

 hear ye, is an expression used by the 

 crier of a court, in order to enjoin silence, 

 when any proclamation is made. 



OYSTER. See OSTKEA. 



OZANAM (JAMES), in biography, an 

 eminent French mathematician, was de- 

 scended from a family of Jewish extrac- 

 tion, but which had long been converts 

 to the Romish faith ; and some of whom 

 had considerable places in the parliament 

 of Provence. He was born at Boligneaux, 

 in Bressia, in the year 1640; and being 

 a younger son, though his father had a 

 good estate, it was thought proper to 

 breed him to the church, that he might 

 enjoy some small benefices which belong- 

 ed to the family, to serve as a provision for 

 him. Accordingly he studied divinity 

 four years ; but then, on the death of his 

 father, he devoted himself entirely to the 

 mathematics, to which he had always 

 been strongly attached. Some mathe- 

 matical books which fell into his hands 

 first excited his curiosity ; and by his ex- 

 traordinary genius, without the aid of a 

 master, he made so great a progress, that 

 at the age of fifteen he wrote a treatise of 

 that kind. 

 For a maintenance, he first went to 



