I seem to remember back in grade school that I read an atricle about the early study of fire. The study stated that it was thought fire was an actual element itself and exsisted in everything. What was the name of this element?

 

SnowCrash

Originally posted by snowcrash

I seem to remember back in grade school that I read an atricle about the early study of fire. The study stated that it was thought fire was an actual element itself and exsisted in everything. What was the name of this element?

 

SnowCrash

 

Fire! In the early studies fire, water, earth, and wind the four elements which made up everything. Its a frequently known study that almost everyone knows about that was invented by some greek dude, which was later crossed out as impossible by some later scientist who said there was like thirty something elements. Don't remember names.

'Fire' was one of the greek elements (Fire, earth, air, water).

 

It's not the same concept of element that exists in chemistry, which is a chemical with a unique number of protons.

 

Fire is now understood to be an exothermic oxidation reaction (at least conventional fire).

In the 1700's it was believed all substances contained stuff called 'phlogiston'. things that burned quickly, wood etc, rapidly disspiated their quantity of phlogiston. fire was the act of phlogiston rapidly leaving its host substance. rusting was a slower release of the substance.

 

Lavoisier (with the help of an English chemist called Priestly) eventually discovered oxygen.

Thank you Gerg, that is exactly what I was looking for.

 

 

Snow

Gerg...

Originally posted by greg1917

Lavoisier (with the help of an English chemist called Priestly) eventually discovered oxygen.

 

and several mice. or was this just the boring experiment where they burnt stuff and watched the volume of gas drop?

Originally posted by Radical Edward

and several mice. or was this just the boring experiment where they burnt stuff and watched the volume of gas drop?

 

The one where they burnt the mice?

Originally posted by MrL_JaKiri

The one where they burnt the mice?

 

only by accident. the one I am thinking of is the one where they removed the oxygen, and demonstrated how this is bad for mice. It is probably a different experiment.

They're not big on mice, are they?

Yes, when they heated mercury it burned up a fifth of the air and when mice were exposed to this air they promptly died. when the red mercury oxide was heated at a higher temperature pure oxygen was obtained and it was observed that the mice were hyperactive in this environment.

 

If they burnt mice it was probably due to the absurd amount of opium and hash they smoked in those days.

Originally posted by greg1917

If they burnt mice it was probably due to the absurd amount of opium and hash they smoked in those days.

 

the mice or the scientists?

Originally posted by Radical Edward

the mice or the scientists?

 

Mice were never into the drugs scene, cheese always did the trick.