•EypcnmeiUs on Sugar. — Propiigadm sf Hiot. 34 1 



duced a precipitate in white flakes, fomewhat fimilar to that in the experiments with the 

 fulphuret of lime, and which appeared to be a combination of fugar with lime. Some of 

 the filtered folution being evaporated by a gentle lieat, there remained a femi-tranfparent 

 fubllance, much more tenacious than the thickeft fyrup, but not equal to that produced by 

 the phofphuret of lime ; and it had a rough bitter tafle, mixed with a certain degree of fweet- 

 nefs. The pot-afh, likewife, appeared to combine with the fugar, the fvveet tafte being more 

 completely deflroyed than by the lime : but on tlic addition of fulpliuric acid, fulphat of 

 pot-afti was formed ; and this being precipitated by alcohol, the fweetnefs appeared to be 

 completely reftored. It may likewife be proper to obferve, that when alcohol was added 

 to a portion of the folution of fugar and pure pot-afli, after it had been boiled to the con- 

 fidence of a fyrup, no union took place ; but the alcohol, notwithilanding the mi.xture wa.-; 

 completely and repeatedly agitated, ftill fwam pure on the top : a circumflance which 

 would feem to prove that a new compound is formed by thefe fubftances, which is not foUi- 

 ble in this fluid, although they are both completely fo in a feparate itate. 



Having found that fugar might be converted into a fpecies of gum by depriving it of 

 part of its oxygene, we conceived that gum might, by the addition of oxygene, be changed 

 into a fubftance refembling fugar : but altliough feveral trials were made with a view of 

 combinining oxygene in different proportions with gum-arabic, no remarkably fweet tafte 

 was ever perceived ; on the contrary, in every experiment, it feemed to run verv readily into 

 the acid Hate, particularly when it was expofed to the aftion of the oxygenated muriatic 

 acid gas. 



Indeed, when we reflect; on the change which vegetable mucilage muft undergo in the 

 pTOcefs of malting, the fimple addition of oxygene does not appear to be fulTicIent; for it is 

 probable, from the decompofition of the water, that fome of its hydrogene is fixed, whilft 

 its oxygene dlfengages and unites with a certain portion of charcoal, forming the carbonic 

 acid. Altliough, therefore, fugar and mucilage confifl of the fame principles, viz. carbone, 

 hydrogene, and oxygene; yet unlefs thefe are combined in certain determinate proportions, 

 the former, which when pure is no doubt always a fubftance of exactly the fame nature, 

 cannot be produced; the hydrogene and carbone muft be accurately proportioned, as well 

 as the oxygene *. 



II. 



^li Account of the ]\[nm!er in which Heat is propngntcil in Fluids, and its general Confenucnces 

 in the Economy of the Univer/e. By BENJAMIN Count of RvMFOKI). 



F. 



[Continued from page i')6.] 



ROM the Internal motions of the particles of fluids during the propagation of heal, 

 and from this propagation being impeded by every thing which obllruCls thofe motions, 

 refults amounting to a theory of confiderable pcrfcflion were obtained. But the fubjc£t 

 in the hand of our author naturally produced other intcrefting confequences. It was by 



• This paper is, with the author's confcnt, cxtraflcd from Dr. Rollo's account of t^^o cnfts i-f Diab.-tcs 

 M<-lli''J5| of wliicli to account is given in iliii Journal, [i. 2^5. 



lire 



