OJT PE^PEK.^ 71* 



it has the property of giving a red colour to vegetable blues. 



A very great quantity oF water fuccenively applied is necelTary . 



to exhauft the pepper of its colouring matter: but the fmell 



and tafte of pepper become lefs and lefs ftrong in thefe infu-- ^ 



iions, and at lad altogether imperceptible, leaving the infufions 



infipid, or flightly fweetilh. 



1. Thefe cold infufions contain a peculiar extraSiive matter, Peculiar extraSi- 

 which feems to retide in the outer coat of the pepper-corn. ^*'^ "^^"^'^* 



In the firft infufions their matter is united to the fubftance, in 

 which the tafte and fmell of pepper reiide, and occalions its 

 folubility in water. In the laft infufions, if we jud^e from' 

 their appearance, it feems to be mixed with a mucelaginous 

 fubf^ance. 



2. If we mix the infufion of nut-galls with the cold infufion Cold and hot 



of pepper, no fenlible change is produced; but in a deco6tion ^^1"^°"^ a'' ^ 

 of pepper, it produces a copious flaky precipitate. Hence with jnfuf. of '^ 

 we learn that there is a fubftance in pepper infoluble in cold ^^"l* f*"^<^'P* 



. 01 Ji arch t 



water, but feparated by means of boiling water. This fub- 

 ilance, as fliall be afterwards fhown, is a fpecies of Jiarch. 



3. When pepper is macerated in alcohol it communicates a Maceration of 

 light yellowith green colour to the liquid, which becomes at P^PP*'''^,*".j!^°' 

 the fame time fully impregnated with the peculiar hot princi- tion leave Wiz/i/c 

 pie which charadlerizes pepper. By dillilling this t'indlure in "'^^ 



a retort, the alcohol is obtained colourlefs, but of a decidedly 

 peppery flavour. Towards the end of the diflillation, the 

 liquid in the retort becomes muddy, and depofites a greenilh 7rM%'^ 



matter, part of which may be obfervedalfo trickling down the 

 fides of the receiver like drops of oil. The refidual liquid is 

 yellow, but nearly infipid. T'his green matter is the fubflance 

 to which pepper is indebted for its tafte and fmell. Its pro- 

 perties are analogous to thofe of the volatile oils. 



4. Thefe three bodies, namely, exiraSiive, fiarch and oil, I 

 confider as the mofl important ingredients of the pepper-corn. 

 Let us examine the properties of each, beginning with the oil, 

 which is obvioufly the effential ingredient. 



III. The colour of the oil of pepper is grafs green. When Charaflers of 

 firll obtained it is of the confifience of turpentine, but it gra- "'^ °^ pepp«r. 

 dually hardens by expofure to the air. When moderately 

 heated, it gives out a liquid oil of a yellowifh green colour, 

 and leaves a folid mafs, fimilar nearly to a refin. When thrown 

 into water, it finks to the bottom of that liquid. 



Its 



