Upon some Peculiar States of Water at High Temperature, and the Freezing of Water in Red Hot Vessels

Abstract

William West, Esq., F.R.S., of Leeds, then read a paper “Upon some Peculiar States of Water at High Temperature, and upon the Freezing of Water in Red Hot Vessels.” These, he said, were first made known to chemists by M. Boutigny, at Cambridge. Some of M. Boutigny’s views had been called in question, and it was disputed whether the explosion of steam boilers ever arose from the cause described. He was not going to enter into a discussion on the subject, but to show a few experiments rather in explanation than in defence of Mons. Boutigny’s views on the subject. These experiments had been compared to a practice used in the laundry, of spitting upon a hot smoothing-iron to ascertain whether it was sufficiently hot. Mr. West having brought to a red heat a small platina dish, let fall upon it a few drops of water, which did not pass of as steam, but continued to roll about the vessel like large globules of quicksilver, although heated much beyond the boiling point of water. Immediately, however, on allowing the platina cup to cool a little, the whole of the water passed off in a state of steam. Mr. West proposed to call these the adherent and the non-adherent states, in place of the terms spheroidal, used by M. Boutigny. Another experiment was in a boiler, with a cork placed in it, instead of a safety valve. The boiler was first made red hot, and water was poured into it, which ...