The works of the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq., epitomiz'd by Richard Boulton ... ; illustrated with copper plates.

ARTICLE. I. Several Ways to help the Production of the Air.

EXPERIMENT I.

* 1.1TO try whether a piece of Bread, which was moist, and a little kneaded, would yield Air; I included it in Vacuo with a Mer∣curial Gage, July 12th 76. but it yielded none: On the 12th. some broke in the Receiver, and raised Mercury 3 Inches high; and at Night it was rais'd an Inch higher, tho' no exter∣nal Air got in. July 13th. it ascended higher. On the 26th Day it expanded it self so pow∣erfully, as to separate the Receiver and it's Cover, the Smell of it being acid. So that Air may be drawn out of Bread by such a Menstruum as Water.

EXPERIMENT II.

• JƲly the 11th. Bread being burnt by a Burn∣ing-Glass in Vacuo, yielded Air, which came from it with an Explosion; whence we may guess, that could Air be separated more easily from it, it would produce very considerable Effects.

EXPERIMENT III.

• Septemb. 22. I Enclos'd in a Receiver,* 1.2 Eight Ounces of dry'd Grapes, bruis'd in 7 Ounces of Water, the Receiver being large enough to contain 22 Ounces.
• Septemb. 23. Tho' the Receiver was cover'd with Water all Night, the Mercury was rais'd two Inches.
• Septemb. 30. In seven Days it was rais'd thirteen Inches.
• Octob. 5. In five Days more it was 25 Inches high.
• Octob. 18. The Mercury ascended slowly, some Air ma∣king it's way out of the Receiver. Grapes with∣out Water did not yield Air so plentifully. See Art. IX. Exp. I.

EXPERIMENT IV.

• July 12. I Shut up 10 Ounces of Raisins of the Sun bruis'd,* 1.3 in as much Water as was sufficient to make them ferment.
• July 14. In 48 Hours rais'd the Mercury ten Inches; at Night the Mercury was 5 Inches higher; the next Day it was almost as high as when buoy'd up by the Atmosphere.

• July 16. In the Morning the Receiver and it's Cover were separated by Air, which got through the Water which the Receiver was cover'd with. The same Raisins were shut up in Vacuo again.
• July 18. In the Morning the Air broke out.
• July 19. They were enclosed in the empty Recei∣ver.
• July 21. The Receiver was so full of Air, that some of it forced it's way out; and they were inclo∣sed in the exhausted Receiver again.
• July 22. The Receiver was almost full: The 23d in the Morning it forced it self out. When the Parts of the Water have work'd upon Grapes 5 or 6 days, they yield. Air very fast, tho' at the first they do not.

EXPERIMENT V.

• August 13. 1677. PLums were shut up in one Receiver,* 1.4 and Pears in two others.
• August 16. They were all full of Air, and one which con∣tain'd Pears, and lay open to the Sun-Beams, rais'd the Cover in 24 hours.

EXPERIMENT VI.

• Octob. 16. 77.* 1.5 I Enclosed two Ounces of bruised Grapes in a Receiver large enough to hold 20 Ounces of Water..
• Octob. 17. The Mercury was raised half an Inch.
• Octob. 18. The Mercurial Cylinder was raised half an Inch more. The 20th it encreased 2 Inches. The 22d 4 Inches. The 27th near 6 Inches.
• Jan. 2. 78. It was not quite 10 Inches high.

• Octob. 16. 77. Three Ounces of bruised Grapes being inclu∣ded in an exhausted Receiver, large enough to contain 30 Ounces of Water, with half an Ounce of Spirit of Wine.
• Octob. 17. The Mercury did not ascend much.
• Octob. 18. It was not an Inch high.
• Jan. 2. 18. The Receiver was quite full, and some of the Liquor as it was poured out, produced Bubbles in some Turpentine about the Orifice, which broke outwardly. Tho' Spirit of Wine pro∣motes the Generation of Air in Vacuo, yet in the open Air it hinders it. See the II. VIII. and XIV. Exp. Art. II.

EXPERIMENT VII.

• July 19. 78.MƲST expressed;* 1.6 bruised Grapes were put into a Receiver, when it was 10 Months old.
• The 21. The Mercury was no higher.
• 23. It was raised 3 Inches.
• 24. Raised 5 Inches.
• 25. In the Morning it was 104, in the Evening 137 and the Must made its way out.
• 26. More Must got out. The Air was fur∣ther expanded, but the Mercury was suspended at the same heighth.
• 27. The Screw being left open, half the Must got out: From thence it appears, that by keeping Grapes for some time, their Fermentative Virtue becomes more powerful.

EXPERIMENT VIII.

• Jan. 30. BOiled Apples being put into Receivers,* 1.7 with, and without Sugar, they both presently filled them full of Air.
• Jan. 31. Raw Apples being shut up in Receivers, in one of which was put a third part of Sugar, and the other without.
• Feb. 10. The former had yielded some Air.
• Feb. 14. The raw Apples and Sugar rais'd the Mercury 30 Inches: Those which were boyled raised it

• two Inches: In the other Receivers we had no Air generated,
• Feb. 18. In the Receiver in which the raw Apples and Sugar were enclosed, the Mercury was raised 56 Inches. The Boiled Apples and Sugar raised it 3. The raw Apples had yielded little; but in that which was almost full, the Apples were very little Fermented, but of a very pleasant Taste.
• Feb. 21. The Cover was broke, and the Apples and Sugar had lost some of their Juice, but they were not Rotten.
• March 1. In the great Receiver in which raw Apples were shut up, the Mercury was rais'd 25 Inches: In the little One not above 7. Where Boiled Ap∣ples and Sugar were contained it was raised 9 Inches.
• March 8. In the large one it was 29. In the less 22 ½. That where the Boiled Apples were, stayed at 9 Inches.
• March 17. Some Juice got out of the large Receiver: In the less the Mercury stood at 67 Inches; and the boiled Apples and Sugar raised it 15 Inches.
• From whence it appears, that the Sugar, and the largeness of the Receiver as well as the Cru∣dity of the Fruit contributed to the Production of Air.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Air produ∣ced from Bread.
• * 1.2

  From Grapes.
• * 1.3

  From Rai∣sins.
• * 1.4

  From Plums.
• * 1.5

  From b∣sed Grs.
• * 1.6

  From Must.
• * 1.7

  From boil'd Apples.