1835.] on Sjnrits. 227 



We are, therefore, inclined to give the preference to 

 Lovvitz's process, though even by it the alcohol obtained is 

 not always uniform in its specific gravity. The variation is 

 however but trifling. 



When dry carbonate of potash is added to spirits till it is 

 no longer dissolved, but remains dry at the bottom of the 

 vessel, the specific gravity of the residual alcohol after dis- 

 tillation, which is necessary to free it from the yellow 

 matter and a minute quantity of the carbonate of potash 

 which it holds in solution, is uniform, varying but very 

 little, in repeated trials we have made from -8179 at 60°. 



The mean of two experiments with peroxide of copper, 

 performed however, with an apparatus too imperfect to give 

 more than a mere approximation, gave as its composition : 

 Olefiant gas . . . 54-632 7- 

 Water .... 45*368 5*813 



100- 



Approaching very nearly 4 atoms of alcohol and 1 of water. 



That this is really the true composition of the spirit ob- 

 tained in this way, is still more satisfactorily proved from 

 its specific gravity being almost identical with that of the 

 mixture of alcohol and water made in those proportions. 



The fact we think if correct will prove valuable by ena- 

 bling chemists to obtain with comparatively little trouble, 

 a highly rectified alcohol and that of uniform strength, 

 from a want of attention to which, and employing alcohol 

 of different strengths in their experiments, our knowledge 

 of the properties of this important substance is still ex- 

 tremely limited. 



It was the determination of this point that induced us to 

 make choice of atomic proportions in the experiments, of 

 which the following table exhibits the results. 



The alcohol employed was of the specific gravity of -79460 

 at 60°, it contained no trace of oil, nor did it with the nicest 

 re-agents afford the least indication of containing carbonate 



If this yellow coloured alcohol be gently distilled to dryness, the colouring 

 matter remains behind, combined with the potash, from which it may be separated 

 by the addition of an acid, under the form of a foeted oil. The whole of this is 

 not, however, abstracted by one process, but by repetition, rejecting the first 

 portion distilled in each, we at last obtain an alcohol, which suffers no change 

 whatever on the addition of potash. 



Q2 



