109 On the Muriatic Eiher, 



might take place in the course of the operation ; \vc thet\ 

 place it in the naked fire upon a conmion furnace, by means 

 of a grating of iron wire, and adopt Welter's tube lo it, 

 which enters into a flask with three necks, double in 

 capacity to the retort eiTi ployed, and half filled with water 

 at the temperattrre of 20 or 25"*, so that the tube penetrates^ 

 a considerable way into the water: afterwards vve introduce 

 into the second neek a straight tube of safety ; and iiito 

 the third we introduce a crooked one, which is fixed into 

 an earthen vessel under flasks full of water, at the same de- 

 gree of heat as the former, and supported by a knob screwed 

 iht6 the middle of it. Wheti the apparatus is thus arranged, 

 thl; retort must be gradually heated; and in kbout 2a or 25 

 niinutes we see hubbies arise from the lower part of the liquid^ 

 ind particularly from the Surface of the grains of '^atid. 

 Thesebubbles soon increase, and abundance of etherised gas 

 is obtained; acid, alcohol, and water, pass over at the same 

 time, but they reihain in the firfet flask. From 500 gram- 

 mes of air artd an equal volume of alcohol, we may obtair^ 

 twenty litres and upwards of etherized gas perfectly pure. 

 But we shall extract much more from it, if, when the extri- 

 catioii of the gas begins to slacken, we add a fresh quantity to 

 the residue, namely, the strongly acid liquor which ronains in 

 the retort, and the volume of >vhich is thcrinearjy equivalent 

 to two fifths of the liquor from which it comes-. M. The- 

 nard even thinks, that if, by means of a straight tube going 

 to the bottom of the retort and of a proper length, we could 

 pour from time to time warm alcohol into the latter, the ethe- 

 rized gas would be formed in still greater abundance ; for wc 

 should conceive that there is every moment more alcohoj 

 volatilized than muriatic acid, and that we should thus re* 

 establish between these two bodies the primitive proportions,, 

 which are more proper than anv other for the success of the 

 operation. In all cases the njanagenient of tlic fire is of the 

 greatest importance : if it be too weak, no etherized gas is 

 produced j if too strong, but very little is produced. Be- 

 sides, we do not etherize the alcohol sensibly by chargimr 

 it with muriatic acid gas, nor do we obtain ether more scn- 



* The centigrade thermometer is the one intended. — Edit. 



sibly 



