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X. Acoouni of the Method of making Sugar from Beet 



Roots, lately dij covered by M. Achard. Communicated 



by A. N. ScHEREB, Counfellor of Mines to the Duke of 



Saxe Weimar t 



Weimar, 14th Feb. 1799. 



J. HE neweft and mod important difcovery in Germany is 

 that of the well known M. Achard, director of the phyfical 

 clafs of the Academy of Sciences at Berlin, who has at length, 

 found a fubftitute for fugar in the beet root, [Beta vulgaris, 

 Linn.) Thefe beets in this country have been hitherto em- 

 ployed as fodder for cattle. The following is one of his 

 principal experiments : — Twenty-five roots, which in their 

 raw ftate weighed 32'- pounds, being freed from the rind, 

 bruifed, and well prefTed, gave, after the refiduum had been 

 extracted by boiling water, 19 1 pounds of juice. The ex- 

 preflcd juice was then put into a tin faucepan, and evaporat- 

 ed to the confidence of honey over a flow fire. During this 

 procefs the impurities contained in the juice, and which arofe 

 from the albumen of the beets, were fcummed off. The 

 infpiflated fait was next evaporated $0 drynefs over a flower 

 fire, and gave, when pounded, a dry powder of a very 

 bright brown colour, which attracted little or no moiflure ; 

 it was exceedingly fweet, without the intermixture of any 

 other tafte, and weighed two pounds three ounces. The 

 above quantity, viz. 32 £ pounds of the raw roots > gave, 

 therefore, two pounds three ounces of raw fugar. By another 

 experiment it appeared, that a pound of this juice contained 

 only I of an ounce, or at moil one ounce of gummy and mu- 

 eilaginous particles : a cifcumftarrce which greatly facilitated 

 the reparation of the fugar. To obtain a portion of pure 

 fugar from a quantity of juice evaporated and treated as 

 above defcribed, a portion of the juice, infpiflated to dry- 

 nefs, was digefted with a fufficient quantity of alcohol in 

 a gentle heat : and after all the faccharine matter was dif- 

 folved, and the liquor had become perfectly cold, it wasfiltred 

 U a and 



