THE FERMENT OF MADDER ON SUGAfi. 1 I ^ 



On adding lime water until the solution is alkaline, no preci- 

 pitate is produced. On boiling a very slight flocculent 

 deposit is formed. The filtered solution leaves on evapora- 

 tion a crystalline mass, which dissolves again for the most 

 part in boiling water, leaving undissolved only a small 

 quantity of carbonate of lime. The filtered solution is 

 neutral to test paper, and, on being again evaporated, 

 leaves a quantity of long white needles, consisting, without 

 doubt, of the lime salt. The taste of these crystals is 

 nauseous. When heated in a glass tube they become black 

 and give fumes, but no crystalline sublimate ; the residue 

 dissolves in acids, with effervescence, leaving some carbon 

 undissolved. On adding baryta water to the watery solu- 

 tion of the acid, there is formed immediately a white floc- 

 culent precipitate, which is soluble in muriatic acid, and is 

 again formed on neutralizing the acid with ammonia. Per- 

 chloride of iron gives no precipitate in the watery solution 

 of the acid, but in the solution of the lime salt it gives a 

 copious light brown precipitate. Acetate of lead g^ves 

 immediately a slight flocculent precipitate. If the liquid 

 be filtered from this precipitate, and be allowed to stand for 

 a day or two, there are formed on the bottom and sides of 

 the vessel a number of lustrous, well-developed crystals of 

 a rhombohedral form. The liquid yields on evaporation, no 

 more crystals, but only a syrup of acetate of lead. Nitrate 

 of silver produces no precipitate in the watery solution of 

 the acid, but on the addition of ammonia, a copious white 

 precipitate is formed, which, on standing, becomes somewhat 

 crystalline. This precipitate is soluble in nitric acid and 

 ammonia. Acetate of copper gives almost immediately a 

 blue crystalline precipitate, which increases in quantity on 

 standing. It is not soluble in boiling water, but dissolves 

 in acetic acid. These reactions coincide in every, even the 

 minutest, particular with those of succinic acid, a fact of 

 which 1 have convinced myself by a comparative examination 



