Plate
I: Plate I, hi res. Miscellaneous
glassware, including retorts and an alembic.William Henry (1774-1836), a close friend of John Dalton and discoverer of Henry's Law, first wrote a slim tract, An Epitome of Chemistry, based on a lecture course, in 1801. Students were guided though the work of the important chemists of the day, and, more importantly, provided with some simple experiments. This work was well received and Henry wrote his two-volume, comprehensive treatise, Elements of Chemistry in 1806. It went through numerous editions, becoming a standard work, influencing many subsequent authors, particularly because of its emphasis on chemical practice.* The Plates below are from the first American edition of Henry's text. Plates I-X appear to be from the original edition and are labeled Pl. I. etc. in the upper right corner. The last two plates (J. Warr. Jr.1 & 2) appear to have been specially prepared for this American edition, since they are by a different engraver with a Philadelphia address.
Note that these plates tend to be very practical. They are essentially plans for making one's own apparatus: scaled drawings with detail views and scales to give accurate dimensions. With this book in hand one could approach the local glassblower, tinsmith etc. and go about setting up a laboratory!
Plate
I: Plate I, hi res. Miscellaneous
glassware, including retorts and an alembic.
Plate II: Plate
II, hi res. Miscellaneous glassware
Plate III; Plate
III, hi res. Gas generating and collecting apparatus
Plate
IV; Plate IV, hi res. Gas reaction
setups, pressure cylinder
Plate
V; Plate V, hi res. Parabolic
mirror setup; oil burner with vessels
Plate
VI; Plate VI, hi res. Crucible
furnaces
Plate VII; Plate
VII, hi res. Furnaces/ovens; retort in oven
Plate VIII; Plate VIII, hi res. More Furnaces/ovens
Plate IX; Plate
IX, hi res. Electrochemical cells; Gas reaction setups
Plate X; Plate
X, hi res. Distillation and vapor collection setups
J. Warr. Jr. Plate 1; J. Warr. Jr., hi res. "Calorimotor"
J. Warr. Jr. Plate 2; J. Warr. Jr., Plate 2, hi res.
*Brock, William H. The Norton History of Chemistry, W. W. Norton & Company, New York (1993) p. 187, and Laidler, Keith J. The World of Physical Chemistry, Oxford University Press, Oxford (1993) p. 121.
© R. Paselk 1999
Last modified 26 February 2013
