CHAPTER XXXVII
SAFE CHEMICAL EXPERIMENTS
Twentieth-Century “Black Art”
As we stand in the twentieth century and peer curiously down the corridors of Time, we find at all periods a deep interest in chemical phenomena.
From the age when wisdom devoted itself in vain to the discovery of an elixir of life and a method of transmuting the base metals into gold, to the present day, when scientists pursue their experiments with more reasonable and far worthier hopes, chemistry appears never to have suffered any dearth of devotees, despite the fact that in olden times one had either to occupy a high position or be a man greatly daring if the Black Art was to be followed without fear of molestation.
To-day matters are different, so that the junior chemist need only anticipate interference from materfamilias—a truly excellent person, who, however, invariably regards chemical concoctions with hostile contempt.
The obstacles instanced in the previous paragraph being foreseen, perhaps no better initiative can be taken than to conciliate the household deities by the performance of some particular experiment which has an obviously beneficial result. This might happily be the removal of ink stains from white linen; and naturally, if no cloth happen to be so disfigured, some arrangement must be made whereby the ink is accidentally spilt!
Experiments with Chlorine
(1) Apparatus.—Erect a 4-oz. round-bottom flask about 8 inches above the table (A, [Fig. 1]), by clamping its neck in a wooden clip or twisted stiff iron wire, and fastening this to a firm standard. Introduce three or four tablespoonfuls of powdered manganese dioxide (obtainable cheaply in qr. lbs. at most druggists’), and pour over this spirits of salt until the flask is one-third full. Into the neck now fit a cork provided with two circular holes, through one of which a stem funnel passes, and into the other a glass tube fits tightly, being bent at two right angles, as shown in [Fig. 1]. The glass tube may be readily bent by softening it first over a spirit lamp—the flame being colored distinct yellow when the glass reaches a pliable state. Slide a 41⁄2-inch disc of paper (B, [Fig. 1]) on the free limb of the tube, and also soak several 4-inch circles of cardboard in water. These will make satisfactory covers for the small glass preserve jars, in which the gas is to be collected.
