346 Mr. Hennell on the Mutual Action 



from the sulphovinic acid upon the separation and re-arrange- 

 ment of the hydrocarbon. 



10. In the former paper it was shown that oil of wine when 

 heated in water is resolved into hj'drocarbon and sulphovinic 

 acid : an experiment was therefore made upon it. Two hun- 

 dred grains of oil of wine were placed in a retort, a little water 

 added, and heat applied : about a drachm was received, which 

 being redistilled from carbonate of potash the product ap' 

 peared to be principally alcohol, but the presence of asther 

 was very evident. — This experiment proves the formation of 

 aether from sulphovinic acid when no sulphuric acid was pre- 

 sent as such at the commencement of the distillation. 



With regard to the questions at the commencement of this 

 paper, it appears to me from the facts detailed, that in the 

 usual process for obtaining Eether, the sether is not formed al- 

 together from the direct action of the alcohol and sulphuric 

 acid considered independently of the sulphovinic acid present; 

 for the quantity of free sulphuric acid is small compared to the 

 quantity of alcohol present, two-fifths only of the acid remain- 

 ing, while of the alcohol more than two-thirils remain; and 

 further, sulphovinic acid alone is readily converted into aether 

 and sulphuric acid, (see 8.) and during the distillation of asther 

 in the ordinary wa\^ the sulphovinic acid is always re-con- 

 verted more or less completely into sulphuric acid (4. 5. 6.) it 

 probably therefore assists mnch in the process. With regai'd 

 to the third question, the opinion may be supported that the 

 formation of sulphovinic acid is a necessary and intermediate 

 step to the production of aether from alcohol and sulphuric 

 ncid ; and although I do not mean to assert this view, yet it 

 deserves a few remarks. 



In no manner whicli has yet been devised can feiher beformed 

 from alcohol and sulphuric acid without the presence of sul- 

 phovinic acid. Whenever aether has been formed, sulphovinic 

 acid has been present; whenever the sulphuric acid is diluted 

 so far as not to form sulphovinic acid with alcohol, it also re- 

 fuses to form aether with alcohol. Sulphovinic acid will pro- 

 duce aether without the assistance of alcohol. And although 

 the {ether produced when a mixture of equal weights of alco- 

 hol and sulphuric acid are distilled, appears to be in greater 

 quantity than can arise from the decomposition of the sul- 

 phovinic acid existing in the mixture previous to the action of 

 lieat, it is not I think inconsistent to suppose, that at the same 

 time that one portion of sulphovinic acid is resolved into sul- 

 phuric acid and aether, another may be formed from alcohol 

 and sulphuric acid ; and that sulphovinic acid is formed in a 



mixture 



