How did Priestley capture the "fixed air" needed for his initial infusion process?
Answer
Suspending a bowl of water above a fermenting beer vat
Priestley's initial experimental setup ingeniously utilized a byproduct of brewing to isolate carbon dioxide. He placed a bowl of water suspended directly above a large vat where beer was actively fermenting. The resulting 'fixed air' gas naturally rose from the brew and was captured by the water in the bowl. This method was crucial because it allowed him to obtain a sufficient quantity of the gas without requiring complex or existing industrial pressurization apparatus.
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