Page:Experimental researches in chemistry and.djvu/141

126 In another place it is said, "What was very remarkable in all these experiments, in which the generated elastic vapour was completely confined, was the small degree of expansive force which this vapour appeared to possess, after it had been suffered to remain a few minutes, or even only a few seconds, confined in the barrel; for upon raising the weight by means of its lever, and suffering this vapour to escape, instead of escaping with a loud report it rushed out with a hissing noise, hardly so loud or so sharp as the report of a common air-gun, and its effects against the leather stopper, by which it assisted in raising the weight, were so very feeble as not to be sensible."

This the Count attributes to the formation of a hard mass, like a stone, within the cylinder, occasioned by the condensation of what was, at the moment of ignition, an elastic Huid. Such a substance was always found in these cases; but when the explosion raised the weight and blew out the stopper, nothing of this kind remained.

The effects here described, both of elastic force and its cessation on cooling, may evidently be referred as much to carbonic acid and perhaps other gases as to water. The strong sudden hissing observed as occurring when only a little of the products escaped, may have been due to the pas age of the gases into the air, with comparatively but little water, the circumstances being such as were not sufficient to confine the former, though they might the latter; for it cannot be doubted but that in similar circumstances the elastic force of carbonic acid would far surpass that of water. Count Rumford says, that the gunpowder made use of, when well shaken together, occupied rather less space than an equal weight of water. The quantity of residuum before referred to, left by a given weight of gunpowder, is not mentioned, so that the actual space occupied by the vapour of water, carbonic acid, &c., at the moment of ignition, cannot be inferred; there can, however, be but little doubt that when perfectly confined they were in the state of the substances in M. Cagniard de la Tour's experiments.

When allowed to remain a few minutes, or even seconds, the expansive force at Brat observed diminished exceedingly, so as scarcely to surpass that of the air in a charged air-gun. Of course all that was due to the vaporization of water and some