284 D^'- Priestley's Experiments andOhfervations 

 to difperfe in a thoufand dire£tlons, exhibiting the appearance of 

 a mofl beautiful fire- work, fome of the particles flying to the 

 diflance of half a yard from the place of fufion ; and the whole 

 was attended with a confiderable hifiins: nolle. Some of the 

 targcft pieces which had been dlfperfed in this manner 1 was 

 able to collect, and having fiibje6led them to the heat of the 

 lens, they exliiblted the fame appearance as the larger mafs from 

 which they had beeii fcattered. 



When I melted this caft iron in the bottom of a deep glafs 

 receiver, in order to colle£t all the particles that were dlfperfed, 

 they firmly adhered to the glafs, melting it fuperhclally, 

 though without making it crack, fo that it w^as fllli Impoflible 

 to colle6l and weigh the particles. However, I generally 

 found that, notwithflanding the copious difperiion, what re- 

 mained after the experiment rather exceeded than fell fliort of 

 the original weight of the iron. Sometimes a piece of com- 

 mon iron, and efpecially fleel, would make a little hiffing in 

 the fufion, and a particle or two w^ould fly off; but this was 

 liever confiderable *. 



Having now procured what I thought to be a new calx of 

 iron, or a calx faturated with pure air, 1 endeavoured to revive 

 it bv maklnp- it imbibe inflammable air, in the fame manner 

 that I had before made iron, and various other metals, by melt- 

 ing them in a veilel containing inflammable air. In this I fuc- 

 qeeded ; but in the courfe of the experiment a new and very 

 nnexpecSled appearance occurred. I took a piece of iron which 

 I had faturated with pure air, and putting it into a glafs vefTel 



* On being informed of the above-mentioned phenomena, Mr. Watt con- 

 cluded, that the bafis of the dephlogillicatcd air united to the phlogifton of the iron,, 

 and formed luaUr, which was attraded by, and remained fo firmly united to the 

 culx of iron, as to refill the effefts of heat to feparate them, 



containing 



