Sugar from Carrots, Beet, i^c, 169 



duced by the albumen, which, you know, is to be found in moft vegetables, and coagulates at 

 a certain degree of heat. When thus cleared, it had completely loft its fharpnefs, but after 

 (landing at reft for fome days, in a cool place, it fhewed no tendency to cryftallize. It was 

 then evaporated in a water-bath, and afforded a pafte of a light brown colour; that deli- 

 quefced in a fliort time, and refumed the confiftence of a thick fyrup, to the weight of ^Ib. 



« Third experiment, iilb. of the fam.e roots were exprelTed, as in the fecond experiment, 

 but were purified as in the firft. They gave 31b of a clear fyrup, which afforded 3 oz. of fmall 

 cryftals of fugar, of a pleafant tafte. The remaining fyrup was brown and very fwcet. It is to 

 be obferved, that as thefe experiments were made in the fpring, the roots had already begun to 

 ftioot, and contained rather more mucilage than fugar. It is neceflary, alfo, to inform you, that 

 the little plate, affixed to the work of M. Achard, reprefents the beta vulgaris, while the.de- 

 fcription is that of beta cyclaabtiffima, which is very different. On the whole, the extraftion 

 of fugar from the carrot and turnip, on a larger fcale, promifes to become an objedt of profitable 

 fpeculation. 



« It has been difcovered lately, that the water, remaining after obtaining ftarch, contains n 

 large quantity of fugar." 



I know not whether you will think the following experiments on barytes and ftrontites 

 worthy of a place in your journal. 



The analyfis of the native fulphate of ftrontites from the neighbourhood of Briftol, which has 

 been fo well executed by Mr. Clayfield, eftablifhes, beyond all controverfy, the nature of that 

 compound. If any teftimony were required to the accuracy of Mr. C.'s experiments, I might 

 ftate, that early laft winter I read to the Literary and Philofophical Society of this town, an 

 analyfis of the fame fubftance, from which 1 afligned as its components, in 100 grains, 414 ot^ 

 fulphuric acid, 58^ pure ftrontites, and one-fourth of a grain of water, befides a fcarcely not- 

 able portion of iron. Thefe proportions do not differ more than a quarter of a grain from thofe 

 of Mr. C. 



If Mr. Clayfield's analyfis be imperfect in any refpefl, I think it is in the deficiency of proof 

 that the mineral under examination contains no portion whatfoever of barytes. To afcertain 

 the prefence of the laftmentioned earth, Mr. C. poured on the precipitate obtained by boilin* 

 the native fulphate of ftrontites with carbonate of potafh, " a quantity of muriatic acid, fuffi- 

 cient to difTolve only a few grains of the earth. Had any barytes been prefent, it would have 

 been taken up in preference to the ftrontites, from its fuperior aiKnity for the acid; the folu- 

 tion, however, after digeftion for fcveral hours, ftill cryftallized in needles, and afforded a 

 copious precipitate to barytic lime-water." (Phil. Journ. III. 38.) It will be found, however, 

 that on the addition of dilute muriatic acid to a mixture of carbonates of barytes and ftrontites, 

 a portion of each earth is difTolved, as might Indeed be expected from feveral known fa£ts re- 

 fpeSing chemical affinity, which fliew that facility of combination and ftrength of affinity by 

 no means keep pace together. At a certain point of concentration, the muriatic acid even dif- 

 folves ftrontites in preference to barytes, on account of the greater folubility of the refulting 



compound. 



