March 23, 2022 - Out of

Thin Air Documentary

Created @March 20, 2022 8:45 PM

Tags

Hennig Brand - german alchemist trying to make gold from urine

made it into paste, extreme heat

phosphorous was created instead

discovery of elements - people trying to turn substances of

nature to be something valuable

initial thought: there are only four elements

air, water, fire, earth

until they discovered the elements of the periodic table

The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements

Joseph Black - looked for cure for kidney stones

mixed chalky substance and trapped air = heavier

fixed air = carbon dioxide

discovery of the third state of matter: gasses

discovered nitrogen and hydrogen shortly after

Joseph Priestly - discovers all sort of new ERS

poured acid on everything, collected bubbles, discovered

different properties

March 23, 2022 - Out of Thin Air Documentary 1

 discovered 9 new gases

brewery - noticed carbon dioxide in the fermented beer >

discovery of carbonation

carbonation: generating carbon dioxide and injecting it

into water

soda water - might be a treatment for scurvy

scouted for royal contribution - lavoisier

1. Antoine Lavoiser

marie anne - creates diagrams for husband’s words

phlogiston - chemistry’s leading theory about fire

explains metals and rust

contradiction: calx was heavier than the metal even if

phlogiston already left

obsessed with the weights of his elements - balance sheet

of chemicals

conservation of matter = outputs must weigh the same as

inputs

experiment: understanding why calcs were heavier

discovered that air goes in and air out

burning makes elements gain weight = absorbed air when

burned

challenged the very foundation of chemistry

experiment: candle blew sparks in every direction

discovered oxygen: more breathable, combustable

provided implications of this new gas

disproved the 4 element belief

March 23, 2022 - Out of Thin Air Documentary 2

 “if you can all chemistry without phlogiston, they it
must not exist”

did not credit priestly’s idea over dinner

discovered the following:

our air is made up of mostly nitrogen and oxygen

water is made up of two gases (hydrogen, oxygen)

fire is not an element, it’s a process combining with

oxygen

disproved that iron, tin, and lead weren’t actually

compounds

initially thought they were compounds because it

contained phlogiston

released a textbook containing 33 simple substances

initially included light and heat - was disproved >

became new challenge for other chemists

initiated the world wide race for the elements

2. Joseph Priestly

begun to study red calcs of mercury

liquid at room temperature, solid used to treat disease

no plhogistin was needed to transform mercury between

states of matter

experiment: heated mercury with sunlight

decomposes mercury > tests the remaining air

candle burnt brighter than fixed air

if this new gas supports fire, can it also support

breathing?

invited to dine with scientists - met lavoiser

March 23, 2022 - Out of Thin Air Documentary 3

 experiment: placed a mouse under a container with the air
retrieved from mercury calcs

mouse survived twice longer than fixed or any other air

better than common air - 5-6 times better

breathes it himself - feels better

3. Humphry Davy

one of the chemists who joined the race to discover new

elements

learns from books released by lavoisier

experiment: using friction to melt blocks of ice

disprove some of lavosier’s theories

theory of heat - lavoisier said heat was a material

substance called caloric

heat is actually the movement of particles

landed a place in the pneumatic institution

purpose of institution: discover gases to cure diseases

davy’s job: create new gases and test them

experiment: inhaled carbon monoxide, the poisonous gas

found in exhausts, and nitrous oxide

nearly kills himself lmao, two joints

discovers laughing gas

davy x newton - he is the newton of chemistry

built voltaic pile and started experiments on electricity

london royal institution - chemistry laboratory

mission of institution - provide public lectures to

spark interest of science among the london elite

March 23, 2022 - Out of Thin Air Documentary 4

 started as assistant lecturer, got top job later on >
best lecturer

invited to lecture in an org newton once lead

lectured to royal societies

davy dived back to electricity - could he create a

bigger battery to break down even bigger chemicals?

caustic potash - substance derived from wood ashes

experiment: constructed a big battery to see if you can

breakdown potash to its original elements

discovered potassium

discovered sodium through separating caustic soda

turned electricity as a tool to discover new elements

discovered barium, calcium, magnesium, strontium

using this technique, other chemists were able to

discover aluminum, iodine, silicon, boron, lithium

4. Alessandro Volta

claimed to have discovered a new source of electricity

back then, only sources of electricity were lightning

and electrostatic devices

volta claimed that you can have a steady electricity

source

experiment: discs of zinc and copper, seperation by

cardboard soaked in salt water

made the first electric battery

Conclusion

Priestly - first to publish about oxygen

March 23, 2022 - Out of Thin Air Documentary 5

 Lavoisier - first to understand its significance

Carl Wilhelm Scheele - di na kinaya ng utak ko basta di siya

napublish so alang credit

March 23, 2022 - Out of Thin Air Documentary 6