Dephlogisticated air is a perplexing word in English, representing the purest form of oxygen. Its spelling is complex, with the "ph" indicating the Greek root "phlogiston," which was once believed responsible for combustion. The first "o" in "phlogisticated" is pronounced like the "o" in "pot," while the second is more like the "o" in "toe." The "i" is pronounced like the "i" in "sit," and the "a" is an "uh" sound, as in "butter." Together, it becomes [di-flaw-jis-tih-key-tid air].
Dephlogisticated air is a term primarily used in early chemistry and alchemy that refers to a type of air that has undergone a process known as dephlogistication. This concept was developed in the mid-18th century by chemists such as Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier as part of their quest to understand the nature of combustion.
Dephlogisticated air is essentially a deoxygenated or pure form of air that is devoid of the element phlogiston, which was theorized in the early days of chemistry as the substance that caused materials to burn and produce fire. Through various experiments and observations, chemists came to realize that air was composed of gases, particularly oxygen, nitrogen, and trace elements.
The process of dephlogistication involves removing phlogiston and impurities from air, usually by conducting chemical reactions that release the phlogisticated or "burned" components and retain the purified air. This purified air was often described as being capable of sustaining life, allowing substances to burn more readily, and supporting combustion more efficiently.
The discovery and understanding of dephlogisticated air played a crucial role in the development of modern chemistry and the debunking of phlogiston theory. It laid the foundation for the discovery of oxygen and the establishment of the fundamental principles of combustion, respiration, and the composition of air.
Air deprived of "phlogiston," or oxygen.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The term "dephlogisticated air" was coined by the English chemist and physician Joseph Priestley in the late 18th century. It was an early name for what would later be understood as oxygen.
The etymology of the term can be broken down as follows:
- "De-" is a prefix meaning "removal" or "absence of".
- "Phlogisticated" is derived from the outdated theory of phlogiston, which was an imaginary substance thought to be released during combustion. According to this theory, all combustible substances contained phlogiston, and when they burned, they released it.
- "Air" refers to the gaseous substance that was being studied, which Priestley later identified as a crucial component of respiration and combustion.
Therefore, "dephlogisticated air" can be understood as "air that has been freed from phlogiston".