J 70 FREEZING OF ALCOHOL. 



peraluie of about 120 deg. by a water bath of that tempera- 

 tare. The substances forming the different strata united toge- 

 ther, and formed a colourless liquor, which had the specific 

 gravity, and all the other properties of the alcohol from which 

 it was obtained. This experiment was repeated several limes, 

 and the results were uniform, affording sufficient evidence, 

 that the alcohol had not been decomposed by this process, but 

 that the superior strata consisted of foreign substances, which 

 . . it had held in solution. The variety in the form of the crys- 

 tals obtained by former experiments, was, therefore, most likely 

 occasioned by the presence of these foreign substances, a phe- 

 nomenon not uncommon in chemistry. 



The result of these experiments led me now to perceive, 

 that the assumption that alcohol, prepared by Richter's process, 

 is perfectly pure,-or at most contains only a very minute por- 

 tion of water, is entirely gratuitous. The diluted alcohol of 

 commerce, from which the more concentrated is obtained, is 

 well known to contain dirferent volatile impurities ; and since 

 Richter's process makes no provision for the separation of these, 

 we ought rather to expect still to meet with some portion of 

 them in alcohol prepared in this manner. 

 ~* operties of I next proceeded to examine the properties of the different 

 taacc*!^ & " " sa ' ostanc es into which I bad separated Richter's alcohol -, but 

 the time I had now left for this purpose was too short for mak- 

 ing much^progress in this inquiry j a few only of their habitudes 

 with water, and one with another, were all that I had time to 

 examine ; even these I could examine only imperfectly. 



The lowermost stratum, or nearly colourless fluid, which 

 1 have called alcohol, had no flavour, and produced on the or- 

 gan of smell only a sharp pungent sensation. It has the re- 

 markable properly of smoking when exposed to the air, and 

 when diluted with water it differs considerably in taste from 

 common diluted spirit of wine. 



The pale yellow substance, or second stratum, has a pungent 

 taste, leaving an impression of sweetness. It has a very strong 

 but agreeable smell. When mixed with the alcohol, and 

 diluted with water, it has very much the flavour of the better 

 kinds of highland whisky. It readily dissolves in water, and 

 communicates to that fluid its peculiar flavour. 



The pale, yellowish green substance, which composes the 



uppermost 



