44 
lie next squeezed the bladders, and forced the inflammable air along the 
tube* 
The inflammable air soon disappeared; no oxygen gad was evolved: but 
the red lead quickly read mimed its original metallic splendour. 
A question then arose, whence thid property in inflammable air which 
the antiphlogidtiand would ascribe to the evolution of oxygen gad * 
The favourers of the new system were not able to deny the fact; and as 
the inflammable air, which was now called phlogidton, had in this experi¬ 
ment disappeared, they found some difficulty to persuade the supporters of 
the old doctrine that the revival of the metal could not be from the absorp¬ 
tion of the inflammable air, as the red lead had lost a good deal of its 
weight, and the effect of an addition of matter (if inflammable air be matter) 
could be no other than to give it an increase of weight. 
° * 
THE SYNTHES IS 
O F 
W A T E R; 
Or its formation from its r l. HYDROGEN, and 
Two CONSTITUENT PARTS, \ 2. OXYGEN. 
Fortunately for chemistry the Hon. Mr. Cavendish, by passing an electric 
spark through oxygen air, mixed with inflammable air, produced water vf* 
The reduction of the red lead in Dr. Priestley’s experiment was then no 
longer a matter of surprise. At a certain temperature the inflammable air 
overcoming the attraction of the lead for oxygen divorced it of that principle, 
and uniting with it formed water . 
* Inflammable, or hydrogen air, being 15 times lighter than common air, is employed for 
balloons. Oxygen ah is even something heavier than common air. Inflammable air quickly destroys 
life, whereas oxygen air appears to be the very principle of life. It is considerably lighter than either 
oxygen or common air. It explodes when it comes into contact with common air, hut more espe- 
cially with oxygen air, provided any body in actual inflammation be present. The difference therefore 
between these two airs is very great. 
+ 35 grains, by weight, of oxygen ah, and 15 grains of inflammable or hydrogen air, produced 
here precisely loo grains of water. In this experiment caloric is disengaged, and the 85 parts of 
oxygen and 15 of hydrogen unite, which, being naturally solid substances of themselves, become, if 
nearly all the caloric be extracted from them, ice; if less, water. 
