Preparation of Ether hy the Muriatic Acid. 4^ 



with oxygen to any i'ubllance or union of known combullible 

 fubftances; and, as etherification is an efFc6l which depends 

 on the attion of this principle on the ftate of the hydro-car- 

 bonous combination of alcohol, the converfion of the alcoholic 

 liquor into ether could be hoped for only through the inter- 

 vention of this principle. Ludolph*, Baume, and others, 

 attempted to make marine ether by means of common mu- 

 riatic acid ; but without fuccefs, notwithftanding the con- 

 centrated and active ftate in which they have applied this 

 acid on alcohol f. 



Some chemifts, however, without knowing that ftate of 

 combination of oxygen with the muriatic acid which con- 

 ftitutes the oxygenated acid, (probably with a view to prefent 

 to the alcohol a highly concentrated acid,) employed for 

 making marine ether different oxygenated metallic muriats. 

 Thus, Bafil Valentine, and after him Wenzel, tried with that 

 view the oxygenated muriat of antimony ; Neumann, Bayen, 

 de Bormes, the fame muriat of zinc ; Pott, that of arfenic ; 

 Rouclle, Courtanvaux, Spielmann, Erxleben, and lately the 

 celebrated Klaproth %, that of tin ; and others the oxygenated 

 muriat of mercury, the red muriat of iron, &c, and the refults 

 have been attended with more or lefs fuccefs ; but it was ne- 

 ceflary, as already faid, that the real preparation of this ether 

 fliould be preceded by the difcovcry of the oxyo-enated mu- 

 riatic acid. 



The different procefles, however, for the preparation of 



* (Ludolph) Einleitung in di Chim. 1664. (Baumc; Differtation 

 fur I'Ethfr, J767. 



t Brugnattlli, no doubt, had heard mention made of the oxyo-enated 

 acid, when he faid, tliat the muriatic acid with alcohol produced a pcrfeft 

 marine ether : '■'■ Vojfi mm'iutico fummi7i}Jlra colV nlcoole, un pnjetto eUre 

 di cijji mwiatico-' Elemcnti di Chimica, 1796, Vol. II. p. 56. 



+ (Valentin) Tolden, Lctztcs Teftamcnt, 1712, p. 218; (VVenzel) 

 Lehre von dcr Vcrwar.difchaft, p. 148 ; (Neumann) Praeleft. Chim. 

 Lcip. 1737; (Bayen) Mcm.de I'Acad. des Sciences 1774, Vol. IV ; 

 (Dt Bormes) Mijm, dei Savans Etrangers, Vol. VI. p. 6ia ; (Pott) Obf. 

 Chim. de Acid. Sal. Viiiof. 1739, p. 117 ; (Rouclle) Journal des Snvans 

 1759; (Courtanvaux) Mem. des Savans Etrangers, Vol. VI ; (Spiel- 

 mann) Inftitut. Chim. 1763; (Erxlehen) Anfaiigfgr. dcr Chem. 1775, 

 p. »7z ; (Kl iproth) Von Crell's Chem. Annal. 1796, Vol. I. p. 20. 



Vol. VII. H maria 



