VINOUS FERMENTATION. 41 



thus all the azot would dlfappear. What I had forefeen oc- Produced fer- 



curred : at the end of feven days, having filtered the liquor, ^^j.^^^ 



I obtained as a refiduum thirty grammes of a fubftance, which and thus loft aU 



on diftiliation gave no trace of volatile alkali. I. was per- ™ 



fuaded, that the azot was carried off with the carbonic acid 



gas. To convince myfelf of this, I collefted near 41 litres of This was not 



the carbonic acid in an inverted veflel filled with folution of jjjg^.gj.jjQj^j^* 



cauftic potafii. The whole was abforbed, which leaves no acid. 



doubt of its purity. 



What then becomes of the azot ? it ought to be found either What became of 

 in the refiduum of the ferment, or in the refiduum obtained by 

 evaporating the liquor left after diftiliation, or in the alcohol : 

 but the refiduum conftilutes only half the ferment employed; 

 the quantity of matter left by 300 grammes of fugar and fixty 

 of ferment amounts only to twelve grammes; and neither of 

 thefe yields any ammonia on diftiliation, while ferment affords 

 a great deal. If thefe obfervations be juft, if I have accu- 

 rately noticed all the phenomena, if nothing have mifled me, 

 we cannot avoid conckiding, that the azot muft exift in theltmuft exift in 

 alcohol. Yet I have fought in vain to difcover its prefence in 1^0^^^^ not dif- 

 this fluid, in ether, and in the acetous acid : on pafling thefe coverable there, 

 through tubes heated red-hot in the fire, and burning the gafies 

 in Volta's eudiometer by means of the eleftric fpark, we ob- 

 tain fuch fmall quantities, that they are by no means fufficient 

 to decide the queftion: 24 or 25 parts of gas yield at moft: 

 one of refiduum. 



I have made feveral other experiments however, which hi- Azot may ex- 



therto tend to fliow, that azot may exift in fuch a manner ^ls ]^ ^^ ^^ n®t to 

 ' ,.^.„ . -^ - , , . bedeteaedby 



not to be diicovered on diftiliation ; confequently that it may diftiliation, and 



be one of the conftituent principles of vegetables, though in therefore may 

 general when diftilled they afl^ord no ammonia. But as I have principle of vc- 

 not repeated thefe experiments, and they are of fuch import- getables. 

 ance, that we cannot be too referved in announcing them, I 

 purpofe to revife and vary them, I will endeavour to appre- 

 ciate all the circumftances, and if I obtain convincing proofs, 

 I will not delay communicating them to the clafs. 



However this may turn out, thefe refults afford us fufficient 

 light, to fee what paffes in the a6t of fermentation. In this 

 refpefl I cannot agree in opinion with Lavoifier. I do not be- 

 lieve as he does, that all the carbonic acid formed proceeds All the carbonic 



from the fugar. How, on fuch a fuppofition, can we conceive '^^'^^ formed 



, does not proceed 

 ^"^ from the fugar. 



