CHEMISTRY.
[1.] Transcriber’s Note: This note was omitted in the original. Wikipedia has to say: “In general in ancient Greece, each state, city or village possessed its own central hearth and sacred fire, representing the unity and vitality of the community. The fire was kept alight continuously, tended by the king or members of his family. The building in which this fire was kept was the Prytaneum, and the chieftain (the king or prytanis) probably made it his residence.”
[2.] “Lavoisier,” läˈvwäˈze-āˌ. See Appleton’s “Chemistry,” pages 19, 21 and 118. He was condemned to death by a revolutionary tribunal at Paris on a frivolous charge brought against him as one of the farmers of the taxes during the Reign of Terror.
[3.] “Phlogiston,” flo-jisˈton. Stahl supposed it to be pure fire, fixed in combustible bodies in order to distinguish it from fire in a state of liberty.
[4.] “Magnesium.” A shining, almost silver-white metal. When heated it may be rolled out into very thin, long strips resembling ribbons, which will burn with an intense light. In burning it produces magnesium oxide or magnesia, which falls as a fine white powder.
[5.] “Dr. Priestly.” See “Chemistry,” page 118. (1733-1804.) An eminent English divine and philosopher. His partiality to the French Revolution excited the English against him, and in one of the riots his home, library and manuscripts were destroyed by the fire kindled by an angry mob. His later home was in Northumberland, Pa. He wrote between seventy and eighty volumes on history, literature, theology and science.
[6.] In a few volcanic districts steam escapes from the earth, which contains small quantities of boric acid. These vapors are condensed into water, which is again evaporated and the acid crystallized out. When this acid is mixed with alcohol and the solution set on fire it burns with a green flame. See “Chemistry,” page 157.
[7.] “Corpuscles of the blood.” Minute particles, both red and white, existing in the blood, which can be seen under a microscope. In the human species the red corpuscles are thick and circular. They are so small that Young says it would take 255,000 of them to cover a surface of a square inch. They are elastic and pliant, so that they can pass through blood vessels having a smaller diameter than themselves. The white corpuscles are more globular than the red, and contain more fat, and have the power of changing their form. These spontaneous changes have been thought by some scientists a proof that they are microscopic animals. But this is scarcely a sufficient reason for admitting that they are animalculæ, as the muscles of a body, when separated from it, often manifest apparently spontaneous movements.
[8.] Phosphoric acid is always produced by burning phosphorus in air or oxygen. The experiment may be performed as follows, but before undertaking it see page 167 of the “Chemistry,” and note with how much care it must be handled: Place a fragment of carefully dried phosphorus in a small cup on a stand in the middle of a large plate, ignite it by a hot wire, and place over it a bell-glass. White fumes will fill the glass and aggregate into small particles, which will fall to the plate, presenting the appearance of a miniature snow storm.
[9.] Barium is a yellow, lustrous, malleable metal. It is used in fireworks, for the green color it gives off in burning.
[10.] “Bayberries.” The plant, called also wax myrtle, is a low, crooked shrub found throughout the United States, especially near the sea coast. It grows to a height of from three to eight feet. The naked flowers appear in April and May, in clusters, of which from four to nine ripen into dry berries. Plantations of them have long been cultivated in Europe, and they have been raised in Algeria. For many years they have been an article of commerce. A bushel of the berries will yield from four to five pounds of wax.
[11.] “Strontium.” It takes its name from Strontian, in Scotland, where it was first observed as a carbonate. It is a pale yellow metal, harder than lead. If strontium carbonate be dissolved in nitric acid and mixed with combustible substances it will burn with a beautiful carmine red flame, and for this purpose is much used in fireworks.
[12.] “Sodium.” See “Chemistry,” page 67. It is a lustrous, silver-white, soft metal. When thrown upon water, if it be prevented from moving, or if the water be warm, it ignites, burning with its characteristic yellow flame.
[13.] Extinguishing flame by carbon di-oxide. See “Chemistry,” page 218.
[14.] “Lignite.” Also called brown coal. It is the most imperfectly mineralized form of coal. In some instances plants are so little changed that they can easily be classified by the structure of the leaves and the fruit. The fiber has become so impregnated with bitumen that it burns with its peculiar flame and smoke. The jet so much used in jewelry is a black variety of lignite, very compact in texture, and taking a high polish.
[15.] “Kohinoor,” kohˌ-i-noorˈ (mountain of light). This famous stone is now in possession of Queen Victoria. It was obtained before the Christian era in one of the mines of Golconda, and passed to successive sovereigns of India until it was borne away by a Persian conqueror in the early part of the eighteenth century. In 1813 it was bought back by the ruler of Punjaub. When Punjaub was annexed to the East India Company’s territory it was surrendered to the Queen of England. It is said to have weighed about 900 carats originally, but by cutting to have been reduced to a weight of nearly 279 carats. By recutting it was again reduced so as to weigh 186 carats, and at this time was shown (1851) at the Great Exhibition. Since that time it has been again recut, for the third time, and now weighs 123 carats, and is estimated at $600,000. For the other “Paragons” see “Chemistry,” page 204. It is questioned whether the “Grand Mogul” is a pure diamond. The largest undoubted diamond is the “Orloff,” in the scepter of the Emperor of Russia. It weighs 194¾ carats. The “Regent” or “Pitt” is thought to be the purest and most perfect brilliant in Europe. It weighs now 136¾ carats, but its original weight was 410 carats, and the fragments split off when it was cut were valued at some thousand pounds. It was placed in the hilt of the sword of state by Napoleon I. The “Grand Duke” belongs to the Emperor of Austria, and weighs 134 carats. The “Star of the South,” found in Brazil, weighs 124 carats. The “Sancy” weighs only 53½ carats. It belongs to the Emperor of Russia.
[16.] “Golconda.” An ancient city and fortress of India, once the metropolis of the kingdom of Golconda. It is renowned for its diamonds, which are, in truth, only cut there.
[17.] “The Dark Continent.” Africa, so called because so little has been known of it through all history; but through the zeal and enterprise of modern explorers we are led to hope that “the day is not far distant when the secret places of this land of mystery will be penetrated by the light of science and civilization.”