FEKMEXT OILS. Oio 



spirit of wine with oil of vitriol. This operation was conducted in 

 a retort heated in a sand-bath, and as soon as the ordinary ether 

 had come over, the receiver was changed, and normal ethyl- 

 sulphate, or as it w^as termed " wine oil " or oleum vitrolii clulce, 

 collected. Concerning the formation and composition of this body, 

 very different views were held. Towards the end of the last 

 century it was generally assumed that w^ine oil is ether rendered 

 impure by the presence of a large quantity of sulphuric acid, for 

 AViegleb stated that common ether is obtained in large quantities 

 when this substance is distilled with caustic potash. In the year 

 1797 the difference between wine oil and common ether was 

 distinctly pointed out by Fourcroy and Yanquelin, who assumed 

 that the first compound stood in the same relation to ether as 

 ether does to alcohol. This view was generally adopted, until 

 Hennel, in 1826, proved that the compound contains sulphuric acid, 

 and that it is to be considered as a compound of this acid with 

 carbon and hydrogen, in which the latter elements are present in 

 the same relative quantities as in ether itself. He also showed 

 that when wine oil is lieated with water or with alkalies, 

 sulphovinic acid is formed, whilst a liquid hydrocarbon is liberated. 

 This in some cases crystallises, and possesses the composition of 

 olefiant gas. These facts were fully confirmed by the subsequent 

 investigation of Serullas,* Marchandf and Liel)ig.;|: Serullas 

 found that when wine undergoes distillation, it yields the salts of 

 ethyl-sulphuric- acid, and Liebig gave to it the formula (Co H^) 

 SO^-fC^HgSOg and termed it sulphovinate of wine oil. 

 According to the recent experiments of Claesson,§ wine oil consists 

 chiefly of ethyl-sulphate, generally mixed with a larger or smaller 

 quantity of the polymers of ethylene, a fact already observed by 

 Hennel, this latter chemist distinguishing between wine oil, a 

 liquid boiling at 280^ C. and etherin, a solid crystalline mass 

 obtained when the wine oil is allowed to stand for some days. 

 The first attempt to obtain pure normal ethyl-sulphate was made 

 by Wetherill,|i who passed the vapour of sulphur trioxide into 



* Ann, Clieni. Phys., xxxix., p. 153. 



t Journ. Pract. Cliem., xv., p. 8. 



X Pogg. Ann., xxi., p. 40. 



§ Journ. Pract. Chem. [2], xix., p. 255. 



11 Ann. Chem. Pliarm., Ixvi., p. 117. 



