in the Butter of Nutmegs. 107 



11804.-70 100-00 



Sericate of the Oxide of Ethi/le. — This compound may be 

 formed by sending a stream of muriatic acid gas through a 

 concentrated alcoholic solution of sericic acid. The solution 

 must be kept boiling, in order to ensure the complete decom- 

 position of the chloride of ethyle by the fat acid. After some 

 time, sericic aether collects upon the surface of the alcohol 

 as a colourless oil, which may be purified by simple agitation 

 with distilled water. The agitation with water must be con- 

 tinued until no further smell of muriatic aether can be per- 

 ceived. It may be rendered still purer, by digesting it with a 

 solution of carbonate of soda, in order to remove any excess 

 of sericic acid ; but in this case a considerable portion of the 

 aether is lost. If the stream of muriatic acid be continued 

 sufficiently long, such a precaution is unnecessary. The aether 

 cannot be purified by distillation, as part of it, in this case, 

 appears to be decomposed. 



When sericic aether is obtained in the manner now de- 

 scribed, it is an oily transparent fluid at common tempera- 

 tures, destitute both of colour and smell ; but when the 

 muriatic eether has not been carefully removed, it possesses 

 a pale straw-yellow colour, and a faint odour. It is lighter 

 than water, having a specific gravity of 0-8641. It may be 

 obtained in beautiful white crystals, by surrounding the liquid 

 with a freezing mixtui'e. 



Sericic aether is insoluble in water, but soluble both in al- 

 coliol and aether : when boiled for a considerable time with 

 an alcoholic solution of caustic potash, it is decomposed. The 

 following are the results of its analysis, which was performed 

 in the same way as that of other liquid bodies of small vola- 

 tility. 



I. 0-243 gramme of substance, burned with oxide of cop- 

 per, yielded 0-653 gramme carbonic acid, and 0-273 gramme 

 water. 



II. 0-199 gramme of substance, burned with oxide of cop- 

 per, yielded 0-535 gramme cai'bonic acid, and 0-221 gramme 

 water. j. II. Atoms. By calculation. 



Carbon .. 74-30 74-34 60 = 458-61 74-75 



Hydrogen 12-48 12-34 60 = 748-77 12-20 



Oxygen... 13-22 13-32 8 = 800-00 13-05 



100-00 100-00 6134*87 lOO-QO 



