17S ON MURIATIC ETHEE. 



lecting the gas, afid to employ as little as possible, because 

 it dissolves a certain quantity of it. 

 Characters of The gas is perfectly colourless ; it has a strong smell of 

 ^ ^^' ether ; and its taste is perceptibly saccharine. It has no 



action whatever on infusion of litmus, sirup of violets, or 

 limewater. Its specific gravity, compared with that of 

 the air, is 2-219 Jit 18« [63° F.], and 75 cent. [29*4 in.] 

 of atmospheric pressure. At this pressure water dissolves 

 its own bulk. At the same pressure, but at the tempe- 

 rature of 11° [50° F.], the gas assumes the liquid state. 

 Method ofob- A large quantity may be procured in this state by emplojv 

 taiiiing the Jng an apparatus similar to that already described ; only in- 

 quid state. stead of causing the last tube to open under a bottle filled 

 with water it must be made to reach to the bottom of a long, 

 narrow vessel, well dried, and surrounded with ice, which 

 must be renewed as it melts. The ethereous gas will arrive 

 alone in this, and be completely condensed : for as soon as 

 all the common air is expelled from the vessels, their commu- 

 nication with the atmosphere msj-y be cut off without danger. 

 Characters of This ether in the liquid state ig remarkably limpid. Like 

 the liquid ^j^g gas it is colourless, and has no action on litmus or sirup 

 . * of violets: is very soluble in alcohol, from which it may in 



great part be separated by water : has a very decidecl smell, 

 and a very distinct taste resembling that of sugar, which is 

 particularly observable in water saturated with it. Proba- 

 'bly it may thus be employed with success as a medicine. 

 Poured on the hand it suddenly enters into ebullition, and 

 produces considerable cold, leaving a small whitish sediment. 

 At the ternperature of 5^^ [39^2° F.] its weight is to that of 

 Fater as 874 to 1000. Thu§, though it is much more vola- 

 tile than sulphuric ether, and of course than alcohol, it is? 

 not only heavier than the first, but even than the second of 

 these. Finally itiloes not congeal at a temperature of- 29** 

 [2^-2° below OF.]. 



Thus far we s^e nothing in this ether but agrees with the 



phenomena exhibited by other bodies. It is an object of 



curiosity only on account of its novelty, and the facihty 



with which it is converted into a gas or a Hquid. But if w^ 



A -lingular study it farther, it will appear one of the most singular and 



compound. extraordinary compounds we caii form. It; does not redden 



the 



