ON ACETIC AMD AND ACETATES. 349 



As the pyroacetic spirit appears to be a constant and Compared witk 

 uniform substance, whatever may be the acetate from° er:> i >m 

 which it is derived, I have compared it with other spirituous 

 liquors, in which the acetic acid might have had some in. 

 lluence. 



It is pretty generally imagined, that what is contained in Formation or 

 vinegar is the result of the vinous fermentation, which acetlce *** 

 during the distillation becomes ether by the action of the 

 acetic acid. Mr. Gehlen very lately denied the direct forma- 

 tion of an acetic ether : but Mr.Thenard has since formed it, 

 as other chemists had done before*. In March 1803 I 

 obtained the following results, and I have since verified 

 them. 



I mixed together ten parts of alcohol, of the specific Experiment. 

 gravity of 0*8483, and ten of acetic acid exempt from all 

 spirituous liquor, the spec. grav. of which was 1*0705, and 

 10 parts of which were neutralized by a quantity ef base, 

 which I shall represent by 43*587. The specific gravity of 

 the mixture was 0*9450, though by calculation it should 

 have been 0*9594. There was a very slight evolution of 

 caloric, but I observed no other action, even at the ex- 

 piration of eight and forty hours. I afterward distilled 

 this mixture to dryness. The product had lost nothing 

 perceptible of its weight, but its spec. grav. had become 

 0*9372. I distilled this ljquid to dryness eight times over in 

 close-vessels; but its specific gravity did not alter after the 

 first distillation. I neutralized 10 parts of this ether, which 

 from its composition was equal to 5 parts of the acetic 

 acid employed ; and it took but 14*274 of base, instead of 

 %4'793 t the half of 49-587. Thus on distilling together 

 10 parts each of such alcohol and acetic acid as are de- 

 scribed above, ||fjf-, or nearly 4a °f tn e acid were ex- 

 pended in the etherification. 



To procure this ether free from acid, I saturated it with The ether free* 

 dry carbonate of potash; and added enough of this salt to fromacil1 * 

 take up all the water. Thus I obtained 7*40 parts of ether 

 of the specific gravity of 0*S621. By adding a little of 



this to highly concentrated acetic acid, we have in a small Concentrated 



vinegar. 



* For its spontaneous formation see p. 157. 



talk 



