Chemkul Science. 397 



sweet, and are very soluble in %vater and alcohol. When placed 

 in a vacuum by the side of lime, they lose water, and become 

 opaque ; thrown into a hot crucible, they burn with flame, and 

 blacken, but tiltimately become white, and are then sulphate of 

 lime. When distilled slowly in a retort, they swell and blacken, 

 an empyreum.atic ethereal liquor, apd a yellow oil, somewhat re- 

 sembling the oil of wine, pass into the receiver ; then sulphurous 

 acid gas rises, and sulphate of lime, with a little charcoal, re- 

 mains in the retort. 



The sulphovinate of barytes may be obtained by a similar 

 process to that employed in preparing the salt of lime, and 

 when crystallized is in the form of brilliant transparent quadran- 

 gular plates, unalterable in the air. They are very soluble in 

 water, but not at all in alcohol. When well washed with 

 good alcohol, they still give in distillation the empyreumatic 

 ethereal fluid, and the yellow oil ; from whence it would appear 

 that the oil is not mechanically mixed with the salt, but is in 

 perfect combination. 



The sulphovinate of lead is an extremely deliquescent salt. 

 When dry, it requires only half its weight of water for solution, 

 and it is very soluble in alcohol. When distilled, it yields a 

 heavy oil, sulphate of lead, and charcoal. 



The sulphovinate of potash is obtained in nacreous scales 

 resembling boracic acid : it feels greasy to the touch ; its taste 

 is sweet ; it dissolves easily in wuter ; and fuses at a low 

 temperature. The sulphovinate of soda forms in brilliant 

 irregular crystals which effloresce in the air. 



Sulphovinous acid acts on iron liberating hydrogen. A co- 

 lourless solution is formed of a sweet taste, and which is not 

 precipitated by barytes. Four-sided prismatic crystals are 

 obtained by spontaneous evaporation ; they are of a pale 

 yellow colour, and effloresce in the air, becoming opaque. 



All these salts remain a long time exposed to the air with- 

 out being decomposed, and many of their solutions may be 

 boiled without the formation of sulphuric acid ; it is only 

 the very concentrated solutions which suffer by ebullition. 



In com[)aring the neW arid willi thu hyposulphuric arid. 



