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The Discovery of Oxygen & Combustion (1946)

1946 · Short film · 15 min

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Synopsis

Dating to 1946, THE HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF OXYGEN is a beautifully constructed film made by Britain's Realist Film Unit and directed by Ronald Gardner with Dorothy Grayson serving as educational advisor. The film presents the theory of alchemy and shows the work of alchemists, followed by the Phlogiston Theory. The phlogiston theory is an obsolete scientific theory that postulated a fire-like element called phlogiston is contained within combustible bodies and released during combustion. It was first stated in 1667 by Johann Joachim Becher. The theory attempted to explain burning processes such as combustion and rusting, which are now collectively known as oxidation. (Note: the presentation in the film concerning Priestley and Lavoisier's rivalry may not line up with the most modern views of their contributions to combustion theory.) Oxygen was first discovered by Swedish pharmacist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. He had produced oxygen gas by heating mercuric oxide and various nitrates by about 1772. Scheele called the gas "fire air" because it was the only known supporter of combustion, and wrote an account of this discovery in a manuscript he titled Treatise on Air and Fire, which he sent to his publisher in 1775. That document was published in 1777. In the meantime, on August 1, 1774, an experiment conducted by the British clergyman Joseph Priestley focused sunlight on mercuric oxide (HgO) inside a glass tube, which liberated a gas he named "dephlogisticated air". He noted…

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Details

Running time
15 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

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