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ter than common air, nay even to 

 be dephlogiiticated air. 



I make no doubt but the plants 

 had communicated to this air the 

 quality of being diminiihed by ni- 

 trous air, by mixing with it the 

 dephlogiiticated air they yield of 

 themfelves ; which is alfo the opi- 

 nion of Abbe Fontana, to whom I 

 communicated the experiment. But 

 I cannot but think that the plants, 

 by their vital powers, had changed 

 this pure inflammable air into ful- 

 minating or explolive air, as this 

 quality is given to it in one night, 

 or in a dark place in a few hours ; 

 though plants yield no dephlogifli- 

 cated air in the night or in dark 

 places, but fcarcely any air at all, 

 and whatever air they yield is phlo- 

 giiticated air, unfit for fupporting 

 flame. It even feems to me not 

 v ; improbable. 



