Irlemoir upon Ciffec. 27 



single pluce of the vessel which contained it, and which I 

 separated by decanting the liquid. This deposit stuck to 

 the fingers, was insokible in water, but completely soluble 

 in alcohol ; its weight while soft was 0-09 ; examined after 

 having precipitated, it from its alcoholic solution, it present- 

 ed, on combustion, all the phcenonicna attending that of re- 

 sinous bodies. 



In order to ascertain the quantity of extract which the 

 aqueous and alcoholic liquor ccmtaincd, I" evaporated it to 

 the consistence of honey, and upon being weighed it was 

 0-83. I deducted from this quantity tliat of the acid, the 

 weight of which T knew: that of the extract was then, re- 

 duced to 0'28; the loss was 0"03 ; but not being able to 

 exajnine in this state the extract mixed with acid, I endea- 

 voured to isolate it, by pouring into the solution which I 

 had made of it a sufficient quantity of liquid aceiile of lead, 

 and until no more precipitate v. as formed : I afterwards 

 placed the whole upon a filter, washed the deposit with care, 

 and evaporated the liquor until it had the consistence of a 

 soft extract : this produpt being weighed, it was 0-25 : its co- 

 lour was hyacinth red ; its consistence tenacious ; its taste 

 bitter; very soluble in alcohol ; not precipitating either the 

 solutions of muriates of tin, lead, or iron ; it seemed to be 

 nothing else than tlie acetous acid comina: from the decom- 

 position of the acetite of lead which had been made use of to 

 'isolate the acetite of copper, having made an alteration on it, 

 and as it remained in part combined, since its weight was re- 

 duced to 0'2.5 in place of O 28, as we have already remarked. 

 This loss proceeded, without doubt, from what remained 

 in the vessels in which it was prepared : as to the difference 

 of intensity of colour it presented in this case, it may very 

 probably have proceeded from the oxygen it had absorbed 

 during its evaporation. In order to acquire the completest cer- 

 tainty <m the subject, I took twenty parts of it, which I boiled 

 with distilled acetous acid in a close vessel : the extract 

 underwent no alteration, except acquiring a <rreater liquidity, 

 but it resumed its primitive state by the evaporation of the 

 vehicle which 1 had introduced into it. It remained to exa- 

 mine 



