438 Of the Action of Vegetable Adds on Alcohol. 



ral acid, this mineral acid acts no other part than that of 

 condensing the alcohol, and of bringing it into a state ca- 

 pable of uniting with the vegetable acid. The following 

 principle may liien be established, to express in a general 

 manner the facts I have presented in detail in this memoir. 

 When the vegetable acids are pure, there are none of 

 them, excepting the acetic, which can in any way unite to 

 alcohol and lose iheir acid properties : but on the contrary, 

 when mixed with one of the mineral acids capal)ie of 

 strongly condensing alcohol, all these acids form with al- 

 cohol combinations destitute of acid properties, and free 

 from the mineral acid. This principle being granted, there 

 is no reason for its not including the animal acid?. Pro- 

 bably it will lead us to a knowledge of the secret nature of 

 the mineral acids, and we shall thereby discover the means 

 of easily combining them with alcohol ; and it will even 

 perhaps enable us to combine all vegetable and aninial sub- 

 stances, if not with all the acids, at least with the strongest 

 and most concentrated. This is certain, that it is fruitful 

 in results, since it increases our means of giving new com- 

 binations to matter. 



Be this as it may, searching in every direction to verify 

 these ideas, I occupied myself on ditlercnt objects, which 

 1 have passed unnoticed in this memoir. I endeavoured to 

 ascertain whether the sweet oil of wine was not composed 

 of alcohol and sulphurous acid, and whether that kind of 

 oil procured by passing oxv- muriatic acid gas through 

 alcohol, is not a compound of alcohol or another body, and 

 muriatic acid. I exaiTiined the properties of different com- 

 binations, of which I shall presently give an account. I 

 endeavoured to decompose them by different salts, and thus 

 to combine, by means of double decompositions, alcohol 

 with all the mineral acids, i attempted also to discover 

 whether a perfect identity exists between those kinds of 

 combinations, the formation of which is intlirect, and the 

 nitric and muriatic ethers, the formation of which is direct. 

 Lastly, I endeavoured to determine if really, independent 

 of the condensation, the mode of combination is the saine, 

 when the vegetable acid dissolves in alcohol retaining its 

 acid properties, and when, on the contrary, it intimately 

 combines with that body, with the loss of its properties. 



LXV. On 



