5io Diffc-etut between the Acetoui and Acetic Ac'idi. 



I. If fulphuric acid be poured on the concentrated acetic acid, and then diltillcd, the fiid 

 confequence is the produftion of confiderable heat, the colour of the mixture becomes red, 

 and increafes in intenfity, until at length it becomes black. A great quantity of carboae is 

 precipitated by the continued a£tion of the heat, at tlie fame time that much fulphureous gas 

 is difengaged. 



II. I put feparately into two glafs retorts equal parts of the acetic and acetous acids, at the 

 fame degree of concentration ; I poured upon each one-fourth of its weight of fulphuric acid. 

 This mixture produced a very flrong heat. 



The colour of the mixture of fulphuric acid with the acetic acid at firfl appeared of a pale 

 yellow, while that of the acetous acid did not change colour. 



The mixture of acetous acid arrived at the point of ebullition fooner than the other. 

 It became yellow after the evaporation of one-third of the fluid, and its colour grew deeper 

 and deeper, until it had acquired the tinge of highly-coloured wine. 



The mixture of the acetic acid was not coloured in the fame proportion, and it never ac- 

 quired a deeper tinge than that of ftraw-colourcd white wine. 



The diflillation being long kept up, and urged by a ftrong fire, caufed copious white vapours 

 of fulphureous acid to pafs over ; and towards the end the two refidues became colourlefs, 

 and contained nothing but the concentrated fulphuric acid. 



The two firft third parts of the producl of the diflillation had nearly the fame fmell and 

 tafte, and the acetous acid appeared to me to have been brought to the ftate of acetic acid by 

 its decarbonization in the retort. 



III. I faturatcd, with pure pot-afh, loo pots of each of thefe two acids, and put the foln- 

 tion to evaporate, and obtained, from both, white foliated deliquefcent falts. I put equal 

 parts of each of thefe falts into two retorts, and expofed them to an equal heat, which was 

 gradually increafed till it became violent. There pafled at firft into the receiver of the ap- 

 paratus in which the acetate was placed, two or three drops of offenfive fmelling acrid 

 water, which indicated no acidity to the tafte. The diftillation of the acetite produced 

 nothing but certain vapours, which emitted a fimilar odour. 



The fait was firft liquified, and then became black, in both the retorts. In proportion as I 

 increafed the heat, the retorts and receivers became lined with a white fume, which after- 

 wards difappeared. 



In' both retorts were left black refidues, upon which I poured boiling diftilled water. I 

 wafhed them feveral times, in order to deprive them of all foluble matter. 



Thefe refidues being dried, prefented all the charadters of carbone. Their weight com- 

 pared with that in fait made ufe of, afforded the following refults : 



The acetate afforded one-feventeenth part of its weight in carbone. 



The acetite afpjrded one-thirteenth part. 



There is, confequently, a difference between the acetous and the acetic acids; and this 

 difference arifes from the greater proportion of carbone in tlte acetous beyond that in the 

 acetic acid. 



It appears to me, that the phenomena prefented by the diftillation of the acetite of copper, 

 ought to lead us to the fame confequence. In faft, the acetite of copper is merely a folution 



of 



