Experiment on distilling in a vacuum
Date
27 April 1687
Creator
Unknown, Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Manuscript page number
p1
Material
Dimensions
height (page): 123mm
width (page): 165mm
width (page): 165mm
Subject
Content object
Description
Description of a glass instrument made of two commonly available, wide-mouthed glass vessels. This was used to try the distillation of lemon peels by evacuating air from the vessels. The experiment was reported to the Royal Society on 27 April 1687.
Papin had worked with Christian Huygens and Robert Boyle on their airpumps, and developed various set-ups to try further experiments using the airpump.
Papin had worked with Christian Huygens and Robert Boyle on their airpumps, and developed various set-ups to try further experiments using the airpump.
Transcription
Having found by experience that distilling in vacuo may be of a great advantage in several occasions, I have endeavoured to make that operation cheaper, surer, and more practicable than I had done before: and I believe the following way is very good for that purpose.
AA BB are two ordinary wide mouthed glasses such as are commonly sold in shops and very cheap: they ought to be chosen with their mouths of the same wideness that being ground they may be exactly applied upon one another. I put into one of them the matters to be distilled and then by means of the instrument presented here about a year ago and printed in the 81 page of my last book I exhaust these two glasses and apply them to one another in vacuo.
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
AA BB are two ordinary wide mouthed glasses such as are commonly sold in shops and very cheap: they ought to be chosen with their mouths of the same wideness that being ground they may be exactly applied upon one another. I put into one of them the matters to be distilled and then by means of the instrument presented here about a year ago and printed in the 81 page of my last book I exhaust these two glasses and apply them to one another in vacuo.
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
Object history
At the meeting of the Royal Society on 27 April 1687, ‘Dr. Papin gave in a paper concerning an experiment, which he had made of distillation in vacuo; and shewed some water of limon-peels so distilled. The scent thereof was found to be very strong and good, but the water was nearly insipid’ (Birch 4:534).
The account is registered with the legend but not the image at RBO/7/5.
The account is registered with the legend but not the image at RBO/7/5.
Related fellows
Denis Papin (1647, French) , Natural philosopher
Associated place