Scientific amusements . IRON. 23 gradually oxidises without its temperature rising, but thiscombination of iron with oxygen is effected much morerapidly under the influence of heat. If, for example, weredden at the fire a nail attached to a wire, and give it amovement of rotation as of a sling, we see flashing outfrom the metal a thousand bright sparks due to the com-bination of iron with oxygen, and the formation of anoxide. Particles of iron burn spontaneously in contactwith air, and this property for many centuries has beenutilized in striking a tinder-box ; that is to say, in sepa-. Prepar
Scientific amusements . IRON. 23 gradually oxidises without its temperature rising, but thiscombination of iron with oxygen is effected much morerapidly under the influence of heat. If, for example, weredden at the fire a nail attached to a wire, and give it amovement of rotation as of a sling, we see flashing outfrom the metal a thousand bright sparks due to the com-bination of iron with oxygen, and the formation of anoxide. Particles of iron burn spontaneously in contactwith air, and this property for many centuries has beenutilized in striking a tinder-box ; that is to say, in sepa-. Preparation of metallic iron. rating, by striking a flint, small particles of iron, which igniteunder the influence of the heat produced by the can prepare iron in such atoms that it ignites at anordinary temperature by simple contact with the^air. Tobring it to this state of extreme tenuity, we reduce itsoxalate by hydrogen. We prepare an apparatus forhydrogen as shown above, and the gas produced at Ais passed through a desiccative tube, B, and finally reachesa glass receptacle, c, in which some oxalate of iron is latter salt, under the combined influence of hydrogenand heat, is reduced to metallic iron, which assumes the 24 CHEMISTRY. appearance of a fine black powder. When the experimentis completed the glass vessel is closed, and the iron, thusprotected from contact with the air, can be preserved in-definitely ; but if it is exposed to the air by breaking offthe end of the receptacle (see below), it ignites immediately,producing a shower of fire of very beau
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade189, booksubjectscientificrecreations
