5 Questions
What did Joseph Priestley discover in 1774?
Oxygen
What did Priestley observe about a burning candle in a closed space?
It gets extinguished
What did Priestley conclude about the effect of a burning candle or an animal in a closed space?
Both somehow damage the air
What did Priestley find when he placed a mint plant in the bell jar with the burning candle?
The candle continued to burn
What did Priestley hypothesize about the role of plants in the air?
Plants restore to the air whatever breathing animals and burning candles remove
Study Notes
Joseph Priestley's Discoveries
- In 1774, Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen, which he called "dephlogisticated air".
Priestley's Experiments
- In a closed space, a burning candle eventually stops burning, and a mouse dies.
- Priestley observed that a burning candle in a closed space would eventually stop burning, and the air would become "spent" or unable to support life.
Conclusions and Findings
- Priestley concluded that a burning candle or an animal in a closed space would eventually use up or "vitiate" the air, making it unable to support life.
- When he placed a mint plant in the bell jar with the burning candle, he found that the plant would thrive, and the candle would continue to burn.
- Priestley hypothesized that plants play a crucial role in "purifying" the air, which was a groundbreaking idea at the time.
Importance of Priestley's Findings
- Priestley's discovery highlighted the importance of plants in maintaining air quality and supporting life.
Test your knowledge of Joseph Priestley's experiments and discoveries in the field of air and plant growth with this quiz. Explore Priestley's observations on the essential role of air for plants and his discovery of oxygen. Answer questions on his experiments with a burning candle and the suffocation of a mouse in a closed space.
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