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Wild Spirit
Tue Nov 04, 2003
Listen in RealAudio 
Johann Baptista van Helmont was both an alchemist and a chemist - a philosopher of fire, as he
called himself. This is a story about his discovery of "wild spirit" in the atmosphere. Hi,
I'm Bryan Yeaton for The Weather Notebook's weekly segment on global climate change.
Van Helmont lived from 1579 to 1644. He was widely known in scientific circles for his great
learning, careful observations, and meticulous experiments and his work ethic. It was said
that he hardly ever stirred out of doors and was scarcely known by his neighbors. Yet he was
a generous man who provided funds for the poor.
One day Van Helmont burned sixty-two pounds of charcoal in a closed vessel. One pound of
ashes remained, along with sixty-one pounds of an invisible substance that tried to escape the
container. He coined the term "gas" for this substance and called it "wild spirit" because it
was difficult to collect, and because he believed it contained the essence of the
charcoal.
Van Helmont also found "wild spirit" in the poisonous gas of mines, the fermentation of grape
juice, and in the bubbles of spa water. In his medical studies, he discovered that "wild
spirit" was condensed in blood and exhaled during respiration. Today we know this "wild
spirit" of combustion, fermentation, and respiration as carbon dioxide, or CO2.
The common carbon dioxide molecule, although a minor component of the atmosphere, is a major
component of the biosphere. It's found in every breath we take, in every hot spring, and in
every glass of champagne. It's also generated by the combustion of fossil fuels and has
become an international symbol on environmental concern. As "Wild spirit", it seems to
capture the debate about CO2 and climate change.
Professor James Fleming of Colby College, contributed today’s story. The Weather Notebook is
supported by Subaru and The National Science Foundation.
Today's Links
More on Johann Baptista van Helmont:
http://mattson.creighton.edu/History_Gas_Chemistry/vanHelmont.html
Two Centuries of Transition: 1600-1800:
http://www.psigate.ac.uk/newsite/reference/plambeck/chem1/p01014.htm
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