You observe a multitude of little combustions going on, but no
flame. I do not know a finer experiment than this, to shew that carbon
burns with a spark.
Here, then, is carbonic acid formed from its elements. It is produced at
once; and if we examined it by lime-water, you will see that we have the
same substance which I have previously described to you. By putting
together 6 parts of carbon by weight (whether it comes from the flame of a
candle or from powdered charcoal) and 16 parts of oxygen by weight, we
have 22 parts of carbonic acid; and, as we saw last time, the 22 parts of
carbonic acid, combined with 28 parts of lime, produced common carbonate
of lime. If you were to examine an oyster-shell, and weigh the component
parts, you would find that every 50 parts would give 6 of carbon and 16 of
oxygen, combined with 28 of lime. However, I do not want to trouble you
with these minuti3/4--it is only the general philosophy of the matter that
we can now go into. See how finely the carbon is dissolving away [pointing
to the lump of charcoal burning quietly in the jar of oxygen]. You may say
that the charcoal is actually dissolving in the air round about; and if
that were perfectly pure charcoal, which we can easily prepare, there
would be no residue whatever.
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