132 NE^ VEGETACLE SALT. 



Decompofed by In the fame manner thirty grains of the dry calcareoits fait 

 Su.phunc acjd. ^^^^ decompofed by twelve grains of fulphuric acid, properly 



diluted. The fulphate of lime being feparated, the fanve 



acid fait was obtained, 

 ""i^lctl^^ The taf^e of fuccinic acid is flill more marked in the acid 

 is oot deliqucf- itfelf. The acid fait remains dry in the air ; it is eafily foluble 

 ctntt diffolves j^ alcohol as well as in water. It does not precipitate the 



readily in alcahol m- r i • i-i • r i 



and does notprc- metallic lOJulions like its lalt. 



cipitsce metaliic Twenty grains of tlie acid fait were flightly heated m a fmall 

 In"he"etortan S^^^^ retort. Firfl, a couple of drops of an acid liquor came 

 acid liquor came over, the tafte of which was perfectly analogous to that of the 

 cdom-lefrTrS- -^^^^'^^^^ ^^''^' Next a concrete fait arofe, that adhered flat 

 parent cryftala againft the top and part of the neck of the retort, in the form 



fublimed j and ^f prifmatic cryftals, colourlefs and tranfparent. A coally re- 

 a coal remained. _, .,., r ^ 



liduum remamed m the retort. 



htonSy to the^^ ^ fimilar faline fublimation was not obfervable with the 

 lime. calcareous fait : we muft therefore conclude, that the acid ad- 



heres flrongly to the lime, and cannot be feparated from it by 

 heat, without being decompofed. 

 The acid wafhed Xo feparate the fublimed fait from the coally refiduum, the 

 tallized. ^^ ' whole contents of the retort were difiblved, and the liquor 

 filtered. The folution was perfedly clear, and by fpontaneous 

 evaporation depofited the acid fait in colowlefs cryftals, 

 Sublimarfon the fj^Q^ this it appears, that a gentle fublimation is the befl 

 beil mode of ob- , r . • • , •, ri tr • ■ r i 



taifiing it pure, mode or obtainmg the pure acid lalt, and treeing it Irom the 



extradlive matter, to which it adheres too flrongly to be fe* 



parated from ii in the moift way. 

 Perhaps may be The fmall quantity of the calcareous fait I had left, did not 

 ^ u?b"r tree 2il^o ^ ^^ ^^ carry the examination as far as I could have wiflied, 

 in this climate, in order to -determine the fpecific characters of the acid. It is 



poffible, that the mulberry trees in this climate may likewife 



furnifli the fame lalt, and I (hall proceed to inquire into this 



without delay. 

 A new acid, the ' 'pj^^j experiments related, however, feem fufficiently to 

 the fdit moroxy- ellablifli the point of the acid obtained, being a new vegetable 

 kte of lime, ^^id, which comes ncareft to the fuccinic, both in its tafte and 



otlier qualities. We may therefore provifionally give it the 



name of moroxylic acid, and the calcareous fait containing it 



that of moroxylate of ii)ne. 



XL On 



