110 TRANSITION OF FIXED INTO RADIANT MATTER. 



remarkable effect of preventing the slow combustion of phos- 

 phorus, at 66 of Fahr. : it is entirely prevented, as observed by 

 Mr. Graham, (Quarterly Journal of Science, N. S., vi. 83.) by 

 presence of 



Volumes of air. 



1 Volume of olifiant gas . . in 450 



1 , , vapour of sulphuric ether , , 150 



1 ,, vapour of naphtha . ,, 182.0 



1 ,, vapour of oil of turpentine ,, 4444 



It is rational to impute to the presence of phosphorus that 

 beautiful exhibition of prismatic colors, which is visible in 

 mother-of-pearl, &c., being phosphate of lime, &c. 



TRANSITION OF FIXED INTO RADIANT MATTER. 

 IN the celebrated experiment on the oxygen and hydrogen 

 gases, for the production of water, by three eminent French 

 chemists, Fourcroy, Vauquelin, and Seguin, in 1790, In 

 which 7249 grains in water, of the gases, were ignited with 

 the greatest care and precision, there was at the termination 

 an evident loss, or absence of the iixed matter under operation, 

 to the extent of 5 grains Ix-iVy 1 * 1 part of the whole. 



From this and other similar operations on the gases, and 

 also from some of the many experiments of Doctor Thompson, 

 in his analytical pursuits, where results of deficiency have 

 occurred, I should venture to define the relative proportion of 

 matter which passes directly to the radiant state of light, to 

 be equal to the 1-1 500th part of the whole of the fixed matter 

 submitted to ignition, where the two gases, oxygen and hydro- 

 gen, are alone employed, or in conjunction with solids or 

 fluids, which require reduction to their original elementary 

 constituents. But from the excessive quantity of light pro- 

 duced by the ignition of the THREE GASES, oxygen, nitrogen, 

 and hydrogen together, the computation of the amount of 

 DIRECT TRANSITION to the radiant state, must very far exceed 

 that proportion, and may be found to equal 1 -500th part of the 

 gases employed. 



