. Phosphorescence; or, The emission of light by minerals, plants, and animals. t meteoric stones leave phospho-rescent streaks in the atmosphere. We have already noticed, that substances whichare not phosphorescent after insolation may be-come so after they have undergone the influenceof an electric discharge. In February, 1859, Becquerel communicated to the Academyof Sciences at Paris a discovery made by M. Ruhm-korff on rarefied air, and worked out afterwardsby the former. M. Ruhmkorflf remarked that certain rarefiedgases, shut up in glass tubes, remained phospho-rescent for some se
. Phosphorescence; or, The emission of light by minerals, plants, and animals. t meteoric stones leave phospho-rescent streaks in the atmosphere. We have already noticed, that substances whichare not phosphorescent after insolation may be-come so after they have undergone the influenceof an electric discharge. In February, 1859, Becquerel communicated to the Academyof Sciences at Paris a discovery made by M. Ruhm-korff on rarefied air, and worked out afterwardsby the former. M. Ruhmkorflf remarked that certain rarefiedgases, shut up in glass tubes, remained phospho-rescent for some seconds after an electric dis- 40 PSOSPEORESCENCE charge Lad been passed througli the tubes andgases. Hydrogen^ sulphuretted hydrogen, chlo-rine^ protoxide of nitrogen, showed a feeble lightfor a few seconds after being submitted to anelectric discharge or a current of induction. Withoxygen a similar effect is observed. Rarefied oxy-gen, enclosed in a serpentine apparatus composedof a series of glass globes united by bent tubes(fig. 4), in which are soldered platinum wires to. conduct the discharge, is submitted to the actionof a powerful induction machine or common elec-tric battery. When the current is suddenly cutoff, the entire tube shines with a yellowish light,which persists for some seconds and then gradu-ally disappears. The experiment must of coursebe made in a dark room. Sulphurous acid gas sometimes shows a similareffect. M. Ed. Becquerel has not been able toobserve phenomena of phosphorescence in any ofthese gases after insolation or after exposing them OF GASES, ETC. 41 to the electric light, though it is probable suchdoes exist. In the above experiment, when other gases aremixed with the rarefied oxygen, the effect is some-what increased, probably because a certain amountof chemical action is set up. Our readers know, that by passing the dis-charges of a Ruhmkorflf^s induction apparatusthrough a glass globe in which the air has beenhighly rarefied, a beautiful lumin
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