ACETYLENE GAS.

ACETYLENE GAS.

Acetylene gas, though discovered sixty years ago, has not as yet been much used except in the laboratory, owing to the enormous cost of its production, which is 50 cents a pound, or about $1,000 a ton, in grayish lumps of calcium carbide, and, as a recent disastrous explosion showed, is a dangerous thing even to experiment with. These lumps, if placed on a wire screen in a tin cylinder and sunk in a tin canister of water, so as to touch the water immediately, generate acetylene gas, which is at once distinguishable by its peculiar odor. In a recent experiment the gas was conducted by this simple generator by a tube through a can filled with water, and, after being thus cooled, was conducted through another tube through an ordinary half-foot burner. On a match being applied, the acetylene gas burned with a brilliant, limpid, pure,almost white flame of dazzling intensity. The flame was so intense, that none of the characteristic lavender rays were visible to the naked eye.The experimenter told the microscopists something about acetylene gas, relying almost entirely, however, as he explained, on a Chicago firm for his data, lie said that 1,130 pounds of coal dust, joined with 1,750 pounds of lime, by means of an electric current, would produce a ton of calcium carbide. To produce acetylene gas nothing was left to be done but to drop the calcium carbide in water, when the acetylene gas would bubble to the surface. One pound of calcium carbide, he said, would produce five cubic feet of acetylene gas, which was thirty times greater than ordinary water gas in illuminating power. Acetylene gas gives out only about onesixth as much carbon dioxide as water gas, and its flame temperature is 900 degrees centigrade, whereas the flame temperature of water gas is 1,400 degrees cen tigrade. The great danger of using acetylene gas compressed into steel cylinders was pointed out. At present acetylene gas is far too costly to compete with coal gas for illuminating purposes, although by utilizing immense heaps of coal dust near coal mines a way will probably soon be found of making a commercial success of the new gas. The time will come when calcium carbide can be produced for $10 a ton. A strong caution must be given against using the acetylene gas in the form in which it is put up, namely, in a compressed state in steel cylinders, for use in private houses. In this condition the acetylene gas is very dangerous to have around. It exerts a pressure of over forty atmospheres on these cylinders.

Acetylene gas, though discovered sixty years ago, has not as yet been much used except in the laboratory, owing to the enormous cost of its production, which is 50 cents a pound, or about $1,000 a ton, in grayish lumps of calcium carbide, and, as a recent disastrous explosion showed, is a dangerous thing even to experiment with. These lumps, if placed on a wire screen in a tin cylinder and sunk in a tin canister of water, so as to touch the water immediately, generate acetylene gas, which is at once distinguishable by its peculiar odor. In a recent experiment the gas was conducted by this simple generator by a tube through a can filled with water, and, after being thus cooled, was conducted through another tube through an ordinary half-foot burner. On a match being applied, the acetylene gas burned with a brilliant, limpid, pure,almost white flame of dazzling intensity. The flame was so intense, that none of the characteristic lavender rays were visible to the naked eye.The experimenter told the microscopists something about acetylene gas, relying almost entirely, however, as he explained, on a Chicago firm for his data, lie said that 1,130 pounds of coal dust, joined with 1,750 pounds of lime, by means of an electric current, would produce a ton of calcium carbide. To produce acetylene gas nothing was left to be done but to drop the calcium carbide in water, when the acetylene gas would bubble to the surface. One pound of calcium carbide, he said, would produce five cubic feet of acetylene gas, which was thirty times greater than ordinary water gas in illuminating power. Acetylene gas gives out only about onesixth as much carbon dioxide as water gas, and its flame temperature is 900 degrees centigrade, whereas the flame temperature of water gas is 1,400 degrees cen tigrade. The great danger of using acetylene gas compressed into steel cylinders was pointed out. At present acetylene gas is far too costly to compete with coal gas for illuminating purposes, although by utilizing immense heaps of coal dust near coal mines a way will probably soon be found of making a commercial success of the new gas. The time will come when calcium carbide can be produced for $10 a ton. A strong caution must be given against using the acetylene gas in the form in which it is put up, namely, in a compressed state in steel cylinders, for use in private houses. In this condition the acetylene gas is very dangerous to have around. It exerts a pressure of over forty atmospheres on these cylinders.