1 atmosphere) about -180°. Oxygen, like all gases, is transparent, and like the majority of gases, colourless. It has no smell or taste, which is evident from the fact of its being a component of air. The weight of one litre of oxygen gas at 0° and 760 mm. pressure is 1·4298 gram; it is therefore slightly denser than air. Its density in respect to air = 1·1056 and in respect to hydrogen = 16.22
In its chemical properties oxygen is remarkable from the fact that it very easily—and, in a chemical sense, vigorously—reacts on a number of substances, forming oxygen compounds.
However, only a few substances and mixtures of substances (for example, phosphorus, copper with ammonia, decomposing organic matter, aldehyde, pyrogallol with an alkali, &c.) combine directly with oxygen at the ordinary temperature, whilst many substances easily combine with oxygen at a red heat, and often this combination presents a rapid chemical reaction accompanied by the evolution of a large quantity of heat.
Every reaction which takes place rapidly, if it be accompanied by so great an evolution of heat as to produce incandescence, is termed combustion.
Thus combustion ensues when many metals are plunged into chlorine, or oxide of sodium or barium into carbonic anhydride, or when a spark falls on gunpowder. A great many substances are combustible in oxygen, and, owing to its presence, in air also.
In order to start combustion it is generally necessary23 that the combustible substance should be brought to a state of incandescence.
The continuation of the process does not require the aid of fresh external heat, because sufficient heat24 is evolved to raise the temperature of the remaining parts of the combustible substance to the required degree.
Examples of this are familiar to all from every-day experience.
Combustion proceeds in oxygen with greater rapidity, and is accompanied by a more powerful incandescence, than in ordinary air. This may be demonstrated by a number of very convincing experiments. If a piece of charcoal, attached to a wire and previously brought to red-heat, be plunged into a flask full of oxygen, it burns rapidly at a white heat—i.e. it combines with the oxygen, forming a gaseous product of combustion called carbonic anhydride, or carbonic acid gas, CO2. This is the