333 Analyfis of the Honey -Jione, or mell'iis. 



mull contain acid of mellite united to potafh ; and in tbrt 

 hope that it would give up its bafe to mineral acids, I put 

 into a portion of the liquor a few drops of nitric acid, which 

 produced a very flight effervefcence, and gave birth to a 

 fmall quantity of a brown flaky matter. 'Some hours after 

 what 1 fufpeclcd took place ; the acid of mellite cryftallifed 

 under the form of fmall fhort prilms with brilliant facets. 



Finding that this method might enable me to feparate the" 

 above acid from the potafh, I expofed the whole of the liquor 

 to a gentle heat, and mixed with it fome nitric acid till it 

 had an excefs fenfible to the talle. I then made it pafs 

 through the filter, in order to feparate the brown flaky mat- 

 ter, and to obtain the acid in a purer ftate. In two cryftal- 

 lifations I indeed obtained about 1*34 grammes of it, which 

 were pretty white, though it had ftill a yellowifh tint. The 

 properties which it exhibited by its mixture with other fub- 

 flances were as follow : 



1 ft. This acid has brilliant facets, a considerable degree of 

 hardnefs, and a flight acid favour accompanied with a little 

 bitternefs, which may have arifen from fome particles of bi- 

 tumen that remained attached to it, and which gave it a 

 yellowifh colour. 



2d. A portion of this acid, when expofed to the flame of 

 the blow-pipe, exhibited at firft fome fcintillations like falt- 

 petre ; it then fwelled up, and left a matter which foon pene- 

 trated the charcoal. 



3d. When heatrd in a covered platina crucible, it at firft 

 fwelled up, then became carbonaceous without producing an 

 oily fmoke, and left a light charcoal which was exceedingly 

 alkaline *'. This acid remained therefore united to a certain 

 quantity of potafh, notwithftanding the excefs of nitric acid 

 added to its folution. The fame efle& took place alfo with 

 the tartareous and oxalic acids, which by thefe means pafs to 

 the ftate of acidulous falts. 



4th. This fait is very little foluble, but I have not been 



* This aci(', on account of the above property, cannot be confounded 

 with the acidulous tartritc of potafh; for the latter fwells up much more, 

 and during its decomposition emits a pretty thick fmoke, which has a pe- 

 culiar odour eafi'.y diftingiitihed, 



able 



