We will now turn to another very important part of our subject,
remembering that we have examined the candle in its burning, and have
found that it gives rise to various products. We have the products, you
know, of soot, of water, and of something else which you have not yet
examined. We have collected the water, but have allowed the other things
to go into the air. Let us now examine some of these other products.
Here is an experiment which I think will help you in part in this way. We
will put our candle there, and place over it a chimney, thus. I think my
candle will go on burning, because the air-passage is open at the bottom
and the top. In the first place, you see the moisture appearing--that you
know about. It is water produced from the candle by the action of the air
upon its hydrogen. But, besides that, something is going out at the top:
it is not moisture--it is not water--it is not condensible; and yet, after
all, it has very singular properties. You will find that the air coming
out of the top of our chimney is nearly sufficient to blow the light out I
am holding to it; and if I put the light fairly opposed to the current, it
will blow it quite out. You will say that is as it should be; and I am
supposing that you think it ought to do so, because the nitrogen does not
support combustion, and ought to put the candle out, since the candle will
not burn in nitrogen.
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