of Fermentation, or of Dhtillation, 211 



The difficulty was to distil the alcohol off from this alkaline 

 solution at a lower temperature than that at which it was sup-- 

 po.sed to be formed. In a rare medium the alcohol would as- 

 sume the gaseous state: but the cause which first volatilized it 

 would continue it in the state of vapour. The necessity of in- 

 tense cold on one part of the apparatus became therefore evi- 

 dent. The following arrangement I found to answer the pur- 

 pose perfectly. 



A retort v/as selected with a long beak, on the middle of 

 which was blown a globe ; so that a fluid distilling from this 

 retort would be detained in the globe without passing out of the 

 beak. The beak, by a proper arrangement of caps and stop- 

 cocks, was connected with a capacious glass sphere. The washy 

 which had been saturated with alkali, v/as passed through a long 

 funnel into the belly of the retort. The large sphere was then 

 exhausted by a good air pump, and screwed to the retort. The 

 cocks were opened, then shut, the sphere was again exhausted, 

 and again screwed to the retort. Round the small globe on the 

 beak a freezing mixture was confined bv means of a tin vessel 

 closely cemented to the glass. The cocks being opened, the 

 liquor began to boil, and striae of alcohol began to appear on 

 the naked part of the neck which was kept cool by ether. After 

 some time the s])here was again exhausted, and by peculiar 

 management a quantity of alcohol (small indeed) was produced, 

 which proved to be exceedingly strong and highly inflammable. 

 In the v/hole of the process the alkaline wash never rose be- 

 yond 5(). 



These experiments I considered sufficient, and I thought I 

 was entitled to draw up the following conclusion : " that alcohol 

 is a product of fermentation, that it exists ready formed and 

 perfect in fermented liquors, that it exists in them in a state of 

 very loose combination with water and vegetable matter." 



Addendum. 



The foregoing was read to the Kirwanian Society, May 19, 

 1813 : the paper was in a somewhat less condensed form, and con- 

 tained other exjjeriments and arguments, which being of minor 

 importance are here suppressed. Since that time Mr. Brando 

 has puldished a paper, in which he states, that if the extractive 

 colouring matter be precipitated from wine by subacetate of 

 lead, the remaining colourless liquor will easily afford a stratum 

 of alcohol, when saturated with subcarbonate of potash. Gay- 

 Lussac ascertained the same fact by means of litharge ; and 

 found that by distilling wine in a vacuum at the temperature of 

 it)° an alcoholic fluid was obtained. Those who still maintain 

 O 2 the 



