114 MR. E. SCHUNCK ON THE ACTION OF 



of acid reaction, and having a specific gravity of 0.973. As- 

 suming it to consist entirely of alcohol and water, of which 

 there is little doubt, the 12 fl. oz. of this specific gravity 

 would correspond to 1072^ grs. of absolute alcohol. The 

 only peculiarity which I noticed about it as distinguishing it 

 from ordinary spirits of wine from other sources, was that it 

 appeared to be filled with a quantity of small, white, glisten- 

 ing, micaceous scales, which gave the liquid when agitated 

 the appearance of being traversed with silky bands. On fil- 

 tering, these scales remained on the filter, but their quantity 

 was so insignificant that they could not again be separated 

 from the paper. 



The liquid remaining in the retort after the second distilla- 

 tion was added to that remaining after the third distillation, 

 and evaporated together with an excess of carbonate of soda 

 until the bulk was very much diminished. The liquid was 

 then supersaturated with sulphuric acid, and distilled. The 

 distillate was colourless, but had a strong acid taste and re- 

 action. It was neutralized with carbonate of soda, and then 

 gave on evaporation a crystalline mass, which was white with 

 a brownish tinge. This mass when treated with boiling 

 dilute sulphuric acid, evolved a pungent smell like that of 

 acetic or formic acid. Its watery solution gave reactions, 

 similar to those of formiate of soda. It gave, for instance, 

 with nitrate of silver a white crystalline precipitate, which 

 soon became black when left to stand, but immediately on 

 boiling the liquid ; with protonitrate of mercury, a white crys- 

 talline precipitate, which on standing was slowly reduced to 

 grey metallic mercury ; and with corrosive sublimate it pro- 

 duced, on boiling, a copious deposit of white crystalline scales 

 (calomel). But on adding acetate of lead, evaporating to 

 dryness, and treating the residue with alcohol, no crystals of 

 formiate of lead were left undissolved. I therefore concluded 

 that the salt consisted for the most part of acetate of soda, 

 contaminated with some impurity, which obscured the reac- 



