ON OILY HIDROGEN. §7 



On Oily Hidrogen. By Profejfor Proust *. 



I HE perufal of the memoir of the Dutch chemifts having Gas by diftilla- 

 fuggefted to me the idea of making two experiments on the 

 gas obtained by the diftillation of olive-oil, I apprehend, doc- 

 tor, that you will fee the refult with pleafure. With refpect 

 to the inferences which I have ventured to draw from them, 

 if they be not true, they will neverthelefs contribute to extend 

 the fcale of this new order of fa&s, and increafe the means of 

 fmdying them with better effect. 



I call this gas oily, becaufe it feems to me that its great Called oily gas,' 

 weight ; its white, footy, heavy flame ; its ftrong fmell ; and 

 above all, its property of becoming lighter by being pafled 

 feveral times over alcohol, point out a fimple folution of the 

 oily vapour in carbonated hidrogen. 



The pureft oil rauft yield a considerable quantity of carbonic Pure oils yielfi 

 acid with the oily gas. Berthollet was perfectly right in faying ^°^ c e ^ 

 that a certain dofe of oxigen would be found in the oils : be- gas: 

 fides, the abforption which they continually make authorifes they contain 

 it. It may perhaps be attempted to conned this acid with the oxl S en# 

 principles of that mucous body which Scheele feparated from 

 them by oxide of lead j but if on the one hand, the nature of 

 the ingredients in this operation be well considered, and on 

 the other, that of the fugar of oils, I believe it will not be Sugar of oils$ 

 unreafonable to fuppofe that the fugar was entirely formed 

 during their co&ion with the oxide. 



It is free from every metallic matter, iince it does not render not the fame as 

 hidro-fulphurated water turbid ; but it is particularly diftin- f ugars# 

 guifhable from all our vegetable fugars, becaufe it is not fuf- 

 ceptible of any fermentation, corruption or mouldinefs. I Its unchange- 

 have kept three or four ounces of it full ten years, which is of a e na ure \ 

 the confidence of a tolerably clear fyrup, without its having 

 experienced the flighted alteration in the greatefr. heats. In 

 a word> I am very much difpofed to believe that this fpecies 

 of fugar is rather a new product than a fubftance feparated 

 from the oils. 



* From the Journal de Phyfique, Germinal, An. XI. 

 Vol. V.— June H Diftilled 



