J 00 On Camphor and the Camphoric JdJ, 



With the cauft'ic alkalis it affords an homogenous mixture, foluble in water, and which 

 has all the charafters of foaps made with volatile oils. 



Alcohol diflolves it entirely ; and if diftilled water be added to the folution, the mi?tur» 

 becomes milky, but affords no precipitate. 



When brought into eontaft with the oxigenated muriatic acid, this oil becomes very 

 white, but no precipitate appears. 



It therefore differs from that obtained by the nitric acid , becaufe, when mixed with 

 water, with alkalis, or with the oxigenated muriatic acid, camphor is regenerated. 



If the muriatic acid gas be pafled through the oil of camphor prepared by the nitric acid, 

 its colour immediately becomes of a rofe red, and the inftant afterwards yellow. This 

 tail colour does not vary until towards the end of the operation. 



The. oil itfclf does not acquire new properties, 



S E C T I O N IV. 



Examination of the Matter found in the Retort. 



THE matter which remains in the retort after the operation, is, as we have remarked, of 

 a beautiful black, and, when examined as to quantity, it is found to weigh more than the 

 a-lumine alorre» 



It confifls of carbone very accurately mixed with the alumine, and accordingly the pow- 

 der is extremely fine. 



In order to feparate the carbone from the alumine, and leave It in a ftate of purity, the 

 alumine mull be faturated with an acid. For this purpofe the fulphuric acid is to be ap- 

 plied in the diluted (late. This acid diflolves the alumine, and leaves the carbone difen- 

 gaged, which may be feparated and dried upon the filtre. The fulphat of alumine may 

 be obtained by concentrating the fluid in cryftals, if a fmall portion of alkali be added. 



The intimate combination of the carbone with alumine led me to fufpeft that this me- 

 thod might probably be advantageous to obtain the carburet of alumine,, a preparation hi- 

 therto attempted without fuccefs, and confequently unknown to chemilts. 



I therefore thought it neceffary to repeat the experiment. 



I took an indeterminate quantity of this kind of carburet of alumine, which I placed 

 under a glafs veflel filled with diftilled water,, which veflTel was inverted over another veiTel 

 filled with water. 



At the end of a certain time bubbles of air were difengaged, which rofe to the upper 

 part of the vtfi'el, and gradually difappeared. The water in the veflel became deprefled, 

 and was replaced by two gafes, one of which had all the charadlers of the carbonic acid- 

 gas, and the other was inflammable, and proved to be hydrogen. 



This experiment confequently proves, that a fmall portion, of the water was decom- 

 pofed,, its oxigeo having feized the carbone, and formed carbonic acid, while the liydrogen- 

 became difengaged. 



Notwithftanding the accuracy of this experiment, it is infuflicient to prove that an inti- 

 mate combination had taken place ; or, in a word, that a true carburet of alumine had 

 been formed. Neverthelefs, until experiments Ihall have eftabliflied the characters which 



ought 



