98 On the Production and Nature of Oil of Wine. 



There are two facts which render it probable that oil of wine, 

 when obtained, as in the above process, from alcohol and sul- 

 phuric acid, is a product of the decomposition of sulphovinic acid ; 

 namely — first, that when alcohol and sulphuric acid are mixed in 

 equal bulks, sulphovinic acid is formed in great abundance ; 

 nearly five ounces of sulphate of lead were obtained from the 

 sulphovinate of that metal, formed by neutralizing the acid 

 resulting from a mixture of four ounces of alcohol with an equal 

 bulk of sulphuric acid, the mixture having been allowed to be- 

 come cold before it was saturated — and secondly, oil of wine, or 

 a fluid exactly resembling it, is obtained when any of the sul- 

 phovinates are carefully decomposed by heat. 



Apothecaries* Hall^ March 15, 1825. 



Art. Xl,~~Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 



Thursday, Dec. 16, 1824. — At this meeting, Sir Charles 

 Wetherell, Knt., and John Bell, Esq. were elected Fellows of 

 the Society, and a paper was communicated by Dr. Roget, en- 

 titled an Explanation of an Optical Deception in the appearance 

 in the spokes of a wheel, see7i through vertical apertures. 



A paper was also read containing a description of a New Pho" 

 tometer, by Mr. Ritchie. 



Thursday, Dec. 23. — Captain F. W. Beechy was elected a Fel- 

 low of the Society. 



Two supplementary papers to Mr. Powell's former communica- 

 tion, upon Radiant Heat, were read, and the Society then ad- 

 journed over the Christmas Vacation. 



Thursday, January 13, 1825. — Mr. William Scoresby was ad- 

 mitted into the Society. 



A paper was communicated by Captain Henry Kater, being a 

 description of a Floating Collimator. 



