phlogiston; or, in other words, that water consists of dephlogisticated air united to phlogiston; and that inflammable air is either pure phlogiston, as Dr. Priestley and Mr. Kirwan suppose [and as Cavendish formerly supposed], or else water united to phlogiston; since, according to this supposition, these two substances united together form pure water. On the other hand, if the first explanation be true, we must suppose that dephlogisticated air consists of water united to a little nitrous acid and deprived of its phlogiston; but still the nitrous acid in it must make only a very small part of the whole, as it is found, that the phlogisticated air, which it is converted into, is very small in comparison of the dephlogisticated air." - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
pp. 171-172.
“

I think we must allow that dephlogisticated air is in reality nothing but dephlogisticated water, or water deprived of its phlogiston; or, in other words, that water consists of dephlogisticated air united to phlogiston; and that inflammable air is either pure phlogiston, as Dr. Priestley and Mr. Kirwan suppose [and as Cavendish formerly supposed], or else water united to phlogiston; since, according to this supposition, these two substances united together form pure water. On the other hand, if the first explanation be true, we must suppose that dephlogisticated air consists of water united to a little nitrous acid and deprived of its phlogiston; but still the nitrous acid in it must make only a very small part of the whole, as it is found, that the phlogisticated air, which it is converted into, is very small in comparison of the dephlogisticated air.

— Henry Cavendish

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I think we must allow that dephlogisticated air is in reality nothing but dephlogisticated water, or water deprived of its phlogiston; or, in other words, that water consists of dephlogisticated air united to phlogiston; and that inflammable air is either pure phlogiston, as Dr. Priestley and Mr. Kirwan suppose [and as Cavendish formerly supposed], or else water united to phlogiston; since, according to this supposition, these two substances united together form pure water. On the other hand, if the first explanation be true, we must suppose that dephlogisticated air consists of water united to a little nitrous acid and deprived of its phlogiston; but still the nitrous acid in it must make only a very small part of the whole, as it is found, that the phlogisticated air, which it is converted into, is very small in comparison of the dephlogisticated air." in the context of "pp. 171-172." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Henry Cavendish" (Quotes, The Scientific Papers of the Honourable Henry Cavendish, F.R.S (1921): Vol. 2 Chemical and Dynamical. Edited from the Published Papers, and the Cavendish Manuscripts in possession of His Grace The Duke of Devonshire, K.G., F.R.S. by Sir Edward Thorpe, F.R.S. with Contributions from Dr Charles Chree, Sir Frank Watson Dyson, Sir Archibald Geikie, Sir Joseph Larmor. Cambridge at the University Press., Experiments on Air By (1784): By Henry Cavendish Esq F.R.S. & S.A. Article XIII, Read January 15, 1784, Philosophical Transactions Vol. 74, p. 161.) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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#Henry Cavendish#water#air#dephlogisticated#phlogiston#united#deprived#consists#suppose#nitrous#small#pure
Henry Cavendish

About Henry Cavendish

Henry Cavendish FRS (10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was a British scientist noted for his discovery of hydrogen or what he called "inflammable air". Cavendish is also known for the Cavendish experiment, his measurement of the Earth's density, and early research into electricity.