Acid Liquid Jrom Potash and Alcohol. 233 



by heat, nearly to dryness ; the residue redissolved in a very 

 small quantity of water, and sulphuric acid added by degrees. 

 Effervescence, of course, took place from the formation of carbo- 

 nate of potash, by exposure to the air, and a strong odour, re- 

 sembling that of acetic acid, was disengaged. The liquid was 

 then carefully distilled at a moderate heat. A colourless liquid 

 passed over, which had the following properties : It reddened 

 litmus paper. It had a weak acetic odour. Its taste was slightly 

 acid, and ultimately somewhat empyreumatic. It effervesced, 

 although not strongly, with carbonate of potash, and afforded, by 

 evaporation, a deliquescent salt, which did not crystallize. Mixed 

 with a strong solution of protonitrate of mercury, and heated to 

 boiling, there was a slight effervescence and precipitation of a 

 small quantity of a grey powder, which was metallic mercury. 

 When hot solutions of the salt, formed with potash and of pro- 

 tonitrate of mercury, were mixed together, a similar effervescence 

 and precipitation of metallic mercury ensued. 



It was thus sufficiently manifest, that an acid product had 

 resulted from the mutual action of the alcali and alcohol, and 

 it only remained to determine its nature. The reducing action 

 on the salt of mercury pointed to the formic acid : but I imme- 

 diately thought of the puzzling reducing appearances which were 

 presented by the lampic acid ; and it occurred to me that this 

 new acid product might be of a similar nature, and might prove 

 to be a disguised acetic acid. It became necessary, there- 

 fore, to examine some of the combinations of the acid liquid 

 with bases ; and as the question seemed to lie very much between 

 formic and acetic acids, I followed Berzelius in selecting the 

 salts of magnesia and of lead, as by far the best calculated 

 for distinguishing between these two acids. Portions of the acid 

 liquid prepared by the same process as before, from an alcoholic 

 solution of potash of a similar age, were separately saturated with 

 magnesia and carbonate of lead ; and after being concentrated 

 were set to evaporate spontaneously. Comparative trials were at 

 the same time made by saturating portions of the same base sepa- 

 rately with acetic acid and formic acid, prepared by Dobereiner's 

 process. The magnesian salt of the acid from alcohol afforded a 

 deliquescent mass; from which, however, after it had been exposed 

 to the air for about a month, several minute crystals were separa- 

 ted, presenting the appearance of somewhat circular looking tables, 



