Abstract
IN conducting Plateau's experiment for the formation of spheres of liquid in a medium of equal density, it is still customary to use oil of sortie kind in a mixture of alcohol and water. The following method will be found much simpler and more effective. A glass beaker about 10 cm. diameter and 15 cm. high is filled with water at 22° C. to two-thirds of its height. By means of a pipette, 100 c.c. of a solution of 30 grams of common salt in 1 litre of water are discharged at the bottom of the beaker, so as to form a lower layer slightly denser than the water above. A large funnel furnished with a tap, and having a stem 1 cm. or more in diameter, is now placed centrally in the beaker so that the stem terminates about 7 cm. from the bottom of the vessel. A quantity of commercial orthotoluidine, at a temperature less than 22°, is poured into the funnel, and the tap turned so as to allow the liquid to flow gradually into the water. A sphere of orthotoluidine forms on the end of the stem, the growth of which resembles that of a soap-bubble blown from a pipe.
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DARLING, C. The Formation of Spheres of Liquids. Nature 85, 512 (1911). https://doi.org/10.1038/085512b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/085512b0
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