[ 309 ] 

 L. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



ANALYSIS OF ALCOHOL, .ETHER, ETC. 



MESSRS. Dumas and Boullay have recently analysed alcohol, 

 and several sethereal preparations. The alcohol used was re- 

 peatedly rectified from chloride of calcium ■ its sp. gr. was 0*7925 

 at 64° Fahr.; it boiled at 169° at a medium pressure. 



The analysis of alcohol agrees, the authors remark, with that de- 

 duced by M. Gay-Lussac, from the density of its vapour. The 

 following are the results of the experiments compared with those of 

 calculation. 



Experiment. Calculation. 



Carbon 52-37 52-28 



Hydrogen 13-31 13-02 



Oxygen 34-61 34-70 



] 00-29 100-00 



Sulphuric aether was obtained perfectly free from alcohol by recti- 

 fication from chloride of calcium, until the operation produced no 

 alteration in its properties. Its sp. gr. was 0-713 at 68° Fahr. ; it 

 boiled at 93° Fahr. at a medium pressure. The experimental re- 

 sults compared with those of calculation were as follow: 



Experiment. Calculation. 



Carbon 65*05 64-96 



Hydrogen 13*85 13*47 



Oxygen 21-24 21-57 







100*14 100-00 



There is a slight excess of hydrogen, but the authors consider sul- 

 phuric aether as consisting of a volume of olefiant gas and half a 

 volume of the vapour of water. 



The oil of wine examined was separated from pure aether by distil" 

 lation : as it is not volatilized at a very low temperature, it remains 

 almost entirely in the retort ; a part is then distilled and afterwards 

 rectified from chloride of calcium and a little potash. Its sp. gr. 

 is 0-9174. It was found to consist of 



By E xperim ent. By Calculation. 



Carbon 88-36 ' 88*80 88*94 



Hydrogen . : 1 1 -64 1 1 -20 11 -06 



100*00 100*00 100*00 



Oil of wine is therefore a carburet of hydrogen, differing in the pro- 

 portion of its constituents from all the previously known carburets. 

 The calculated result is obtained by supposing it to be formed of 

 four volumes of the vapour of carbon with three volumes of hydro- 

 gen gas. The authors observe that this composition necessarily re- 

 sults from the kind of reaction which gives rise to the formation of 

 oil of wine, as elucidated by other experiments. 



Sulphovinic 



