Illustration showing an apparatus used to generate an environment in which iron is able to ignite with oxygen at room temperature. The illustration is labeled to indicate a source of hydrogenated gas, a desiccative tube, and a glass receptacle in which iron oxalate is placed. Inside the apparatus, the iron will be preserved indefinitely, but will ignite immediately upon exposure to the atmosphere. The illustration accompanies text describing common metals.

This plate is found in the publication, Wonders of Electricity and the Elements, an educational volume covering a variety of topics related to electricity and the chemical elements in two parts. The first half of the volume is devoted to electrical and magnetic discoveries and modern electric machines, including the telegraph, while the second half explores the elements through the categories of metals, bases, salts, and acids. The volume is profusely illustrated throughout, including many illustrations depicting a range of scientific experiments and electrical machinery. An extensive listing of other Ward, Lock & Co. publications completes the volume.