S54 



ON ACETIC ACID AND ACETATES. 



quantity with pyroacctic spirit. It requires about forty 

 parts of water to dissolve it. It shows no mark of 

 acidity, and no test discovers the presence of muriatic 

 acid in it; yet, by burning it on a solution of nitrate of 

 silver, a very copious precipitate of muriate of silver is 

 formed. 

 The spirit com- Alcohol, pyroacctic spirit, and oil of turpentine, have 

 cohol and essen- * ne P ro P er ty of forming combinations with muriatic acid, but 

 tial oil. each gives a result of a different nature. That of the pyro- 



acctic spirit with this acid is neither an ether, nor a substance 

 resembling camphor. 

 Is it a simple or But are we to consider the pyroacctic spirit as a 'simple- 

 st*? 01111 fr0 " vegetable product, with respect to its immediate composi- 

 tion, as common alcohol is for instance ? or as a combination 

 of a vegetable substance with some other matter, as cer- 

 tain ethers, or a solution of >il in ardent spirit ? De- 

 structive distillation cannot give us certainty on this head ; 

 since from a mixture of all the substances of the vegetable 

 kingdom we ultimately derive the same products in this 

 way. I have made a great many experiments, in 

 order to resolve it into other immediate principles ; 

 but hitherto it has appeared to me simple, in the sense 

 commonly given to this word with regard to the vegetable 

 kingdom. 

 Farther exa- The smell of bitter almonds, which, in combination with 



mination for others, characterises this substance, led me to suspect in it the 

 prussic acid. ? ,, 



presence of prussic acid ; but as analysis failed to detect it, 



I had recourse to synthetical means. 

 Prussic acid I passed a stream of prussic acid gas into alcohol, till it 



Scoha?. e WU X was supersaturated, and then distilled the mixture. It re- 

 tained a strong smell of prussic acid. A second time I dis- 

 tilled it from carbonate of potash. The smell was nearly the 

 same. I added carbonate of potash with black oxide of 

 iron, and, at the expiration of a few days, distilled again. 

 The smell of prussic acid was a little diminished. I then 

 dissolved caustic potash in it, and distilled again. The 

 smell of the liquor condensed in the receiver was still 

 that of prussic acid, but somewhat modified, and parti- 

 cipated a little in that of animal matter. The taste was 



sweet, but pungent. Its specific gravity was 8228 



Its 



