BaILey. | Artificial Mineral Waters. 123 
solid is so cold that it will freeze mercury readily, if brought into 
contact with it. As noticed above, the carbon-dioxid gas is very 
soluble in water, and, as the pressure is increased, the colder 
the water the more is dissolved. | 
METHODS OF USING THE LIQUEFIED CARBON-DIOXID GAS. 
There are numerous ‘‘carbonators’’ on the market for use with 
the liquified gas. The principle on which they work is as fol- 
lows: The cylinder containing the liquified gas is attached to 
a pressure gauge and to the carbonator by means of heavy 
block-tin pipes. The gas is led into an agitator, where it 
passes through the water, and then into a cylinder, where it is 
sprayed with the incoming water. It is important that all air 
in the apparatus be allowed to escape. A pump is used to run 
the agitator and at the same time to pump water into the mix- 
ing cylinder. By means of an automatic arrangement the 
pump is stopped whenever the water rises to a fixed height in 
the mixer, and starts again when the liquid has been drawn off 
below a certain level. The pressure of the charged water can 
be regulated at will, so that the machine thus furnishes a con- 
tinuous supply of carbonated water. 
As the liquefied gas cools the cylinders rapidly when it escapes, 
so, in order to prevent a stoppage of the valves by freezing, some 
manufacturers pass the gas through a steam-jacketed tube to 
warm it, while others attach several ‘‘drums’’ to one carbon- 
ator at the same time, so that the gas shall not expand so rap- 
idly in any one of them as to cause inconvenience. 
The liquefied gas is also used in small steel capsules, known 
as ‘‘sparklets,’’ for carbonating mineral water and other bever- 
ages. The capsules are closed with a thin steel cap which, 
when placed in position in a syphon apparatus, may be punc- 
tured by a steel needle, allowing the gas to come in contact 
with the water. 
This gas is of great use in the carbonating of natural mineral 
waters, so as to keep in solution mineral substances that would 
. otherwise separate out when standing, and also to improve the 
taste of a water by the additional flavor and effervescence of 
the gas. 
