Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1886 — Freezing the Gases. [ARTICLE]

Freezing the Gases.

Since the scientific world was surprised, in 1877, by Cailletet’s and Picket’s announcement of the product tion of liquefied oxygen, several experimenters especially Wroblewski and Olzewski —have successfully attacked the problem of liquefying the so-called permanent gases. It was at first thought necessary to employ great pressure in addition to great cold, but in the later researches both oxygen and nitrogen, as well as atmospheric air, have been made liquid by intense cold at very moderate pressures. Among the interesting results obtained are the follow.ng: At 152 degrees below zero Fahrenheit chlorine forms orange-colored crystals; at 175 degrees below hydrochloric acid is a solid; at 200 below ether solidifies; at 202 below alcohol freezes; at 299 below oxygen boils; at 312 below air boils; and at 377 below air boils in a vacuum. These extraordinary temperatures were measures by means of a hydrogen thermometer and by a thermopile. The lowest temperature yet measured is 373 degrees below zero, which was produced by the evaporation of solid nitrogen on suddenly reducing the pressure. From these results it appears probable that every known substance within the reach of man will be eventually obtained in solid form by the mere withdrawal of heat.