362 Fusion of Charcoal. 



pearance of charcoal; every thing indicates that the char- 

 coal is wasted from this pole, and is transferred to the other. 

 It seems to pass, in the state of vapour, to be accumulated 

 or condensed on the positive pole by attraction, and then 

 to undergo a fusion by intense heat. It is nothing new in 

 chemistry that a substance should be vaporised first, and 

 fused afterwards. In this instance, however, it is very pos- 

 sible that the charcoal begins to be melted at the copper 

 pole, but is simultaneously carried by a strong current, or 

 attraction to the zinc pole, and being there detained by 

 the same cause undergoes a new and more complete and 

 accumulating fusion. It does accumulate with surprising 

 rapidity, three seconds being sufficient to produce a deci- 

 ded result. 



In order to ascertain whether the air had any agency in 

 producing these effects, the charcoal points were made to 

 communicate in a small glass globe filled with nitrogen.* 

 The light was thought to be even more brilliant than be- 

 fore — the whole globe appeared as if a ball of fire, and the 

 growth of the zinc pole and the fusion of the charcoal, were 

 equally rapid and complete, as in the former instances. 



The fused charcoal sinks readily to the bottom of strong 

 sulphuric acid. Common charcoal floats upon rain water, 

 with at least half its volume out — we are therefore, justified 

 in concluding that the specific gravity of charcoal is in- 

 creased at least four times by fusion, and it also becomes 

 much harder. 



Its properties appear to be altered in other respects It 

 becomes so incombustible that when ignited on a red hot 

 iron plate with free access of the air, it remains for a long 

 time unaltered, while pieces of common charcoal placed 

 contiguously, burn rapidly ; the fused charcoal eventually 

 wastes away although with extreme slowness, but without 

 the ordinary appearances of combustion, and leaves a small 

 porous residuum of a yellowish gray colour. 



It will occur to every reader, that this combustion ought 

 to be performed in close vessels, in order to ascertain wheth- 

 er the product is any thing else than carbonic acid. This 

 trial has been made, the product was nothing but carbonic 

 acid, and therefore we are authorised to say that the fusion 

 evolves no new form of matter, metallic or otherwise — and 



* It was prepared by phosphorn? ovpp mercury, and stood 17 hours over 

 fused muriate of lime. 



