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Wild Spirit
Tue Oct 18, 2005
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, 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 of 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. Our Climate
Change series is funded by Environmental Defense. Regular support for The Weather
Notebook comes from Subaru of America.
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