8 On Waters distilled from inodorous Plants, 
the head of the alembic. I had a long time before. er 
pressed the ridge or furrow in the latter. 
By means of these precautions, and of some others which 
Tam about to communicate, I obtained distilled waters, 
which never putrefied although the plants were distilled in 
the open fire, and with a strong ebullition ; and although 
T afterwards put these waters.nto bottles with ground-stop- - 
pers exposed to the rays of the sun, and in an apartment 
constantly heated by a stove, they preserved all the delicacy 
of their aroma and their linipidity. 1OBIG 
We know that the oranee flower water, prepared at Paris 
with great care, ought to be kept in a cool place, and-in the 
shade, in vessels not closely corked, if we wish to prevent 
their undergoing any alteration ; but we know also that the 
orange flower water, which comes from our southern de- 
partments in large bottles of very thin copper, is preserved 
a much longer time without alteration, although they are 
well corked. I have reason ‘to believe'that this difference 
arises from the distillers of Provence making use of alembies 
of the old form with long necks, while those of Paris em- 
ploy the modern flat alembies. I know it will be said that 
a little spirit is mixed with the Proyencé‘orange water; but 
I do not think, if that were the case, that the quantity of 
spirits thus added is sufficient to stop, for so long a time, the 
putrefaction of a distilled water, which contained a little of 
the extract from which it was produced. 
Some chemists complain that pure water, when distilled 
once, still shows traces of the muriatic acid when tried by 
the nitrate of silver ; they consequently prescribe ‘that this 
water should be redistilled. I request them to take the pre- 
cautions I have here suggested, and they will obtain at the 
first distillation purer distilled water than they could other- 
wise do by two distillations. 
Although these observations are very succinct, I flatter 
myself they will excite the attention of sueh chemists or 
artists as make use of alembics; and the question of the 
properties of waters distilled from plants being placed in this 
new point of view, there must consequently be more cer= 
tainty in the observations of such medical gentlemen as have 
a partiality for these kinds of medicines. . 
Before 
