Memoir upon the Acetic Acid. 113 
found a homogeneous charcoal, which neither yielded him 
ammonia nor prussic acid, and which had not the smell 
of any of these substances. Yet we know well how easy it 
is to recognise the smell of the latter acid wherever it exists 
in a state of liberty. 
M. Proust adds, that the residue of the acetate of potash 
was so saturated with prussie acid, that it had a bitterness 
as if the alkali had been directly combined with this acid ; 
whence M. Tromsdorff concludes that the above author had 
made use of common vinegar. 
In order to ascertain the products resulting from the de= 
composition of the acetic acid, M. Tromsdorff passed the 
vapours through a tube made red hot; this operation gave 
him nothing but carbonic acid gas, carbonated hydrogen 
gas, and a small quantity of empyreumatic liquid, without 
ammonia and without prussic acid; these substances no 
longer exist in the residues. 
M. Tromsdorff afterwards attentively examined the ethe- 
real acidulous fluids mixed with oil. He distilled them over 
carbonate of potash, and obtained an ether which oe 
to be true acetic ether in Bee! respect. 
The results of this memoir are: 
Ist, That the presence of azote im acetic acid is by no 
means demonstrated. 
2d, That the pure acetates, when distilled, yield neither 
ammonia nor prussic acid. : 
3d, That the pure acetic acid is changed a little in its na- 
ture by passing through red hot tubes. — 
4th, That in an iron tube it is completely decomposed 
into carbonic acid gas and carbonated hydrogen gas. 
5th, That it is demonstrated that the constituent parts of 
acetic acid are, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. 
6th, That the ethereal fluid is, by its properties in gene- 
ral, similar to the other ethers; the author regards it as a 
medium between alcohol and ether. And as the acetic acid 
partly changes it into ether, and the latter, when treated by 
the nitric acid, is transformed into oxalic acid, the transi- 
tion of the acetic acid into oxalic acid is thus demonstrated, 
“Vol. 26. No, 102. Nov. 1806, H indi- 
