1823.] Vegetable and Animal Substances. 353 



" Common oil of turpentine, specific gravity 0*888, comes 

 very closely to the following arrangement : carbon, 14 atoms ; 

 hydrogen, 10; oxygen, 1. Oil of turpentine, purified with alco- 

 hol by Dr. Nimmo's method, seems to approach to the consti- 

 tution of naphtha, or of a mere carburet of hydrogen. Its 

 specific gravity is 0-878. But as from the mode of preparing it, 

 a minute portion of alcohol may remain in it, I do not think it 

 necessary to investigate its atomical structure." 



" "Naphtha, specific gravity 0*857, obtained by distillation 

 from petroleum, is very nearly represented by carbon, 22 atoms ; 

 hydrogen, 20; oxygen, 1. It, therefore, consists of 20 atoms 

 olefiant gas, 1 atom carbonic oxide, and 1 atom of carbon held 

 in solution." 



" Castor oil is an interesting unctuous body, from its great 

 solubility in alcohol. It consists nearly of carbon, 7 atoms; 

 hydrogen, 6 ; oxygen, 1 . It is composed, therefore, of 6 atoms 

 olefiant gas + 1 atom carbonic oxide." 



" Alcohol, specific gravity 0*812, is composed very nearly of 

 carbon, 3 atoms ; hydrogen, 5 ; oxygen, 2 ; or, of 3 atoms ole- 

 fiant gas = 2*625, 2 water = 2*25. And in volumes, 3 olefiant 

 gas = -9722 x 3 = 2*9166 ; 4 aqueous vapour = *625 x4 = 

 2*500. 



" Thus alcohol of 0*812, by the above analysis, which I believe 

 merits confidence, from the care and consistency of the experi- 

 ments, differs from M. Gay-Lussac's view of absolute alcohol, 

 deduced from M. Th. de Saussure's experiments, in containing 

 an additional volume of aqueous vapour. At the specific gra- 

 vity *814, alcohol would have exactly this atomic constitution. 

 If the condensation be equal to the whole 3 volumes of olefiant 

 gas ; that is, if the 7 volumes of constituent gases become 4 of 

 alcohol vapour, we shall have its specific gravity at this strength 

 = 1*3722 ; the additional volume of aqueous vapour producing 

 necessarily this abatement in the density." 



" Fibres of the bleached threads of the silk-worm were sub- 

 jected to analysis. Their composition is apparently, carbon, 10 

 atoms ; hydrogen, 4 ; oxygen, 5 ; azote, 1 ; or, 4 of olefiant gas, 

 5 of carbonic oxide, and 1 of nitrous oxide ; or of 1 atom prussic 

 acid, 3 atoms olefiant gas, and 5 atoms carbonic oxide." 



" Cotton fibres, unbleached, seem to consist of carbon, 

 11 atoms; hydrogen, 8; oxygen, 10. Flax, by Lee's patent 

 process, consists of carbon, 7 atoms ; hydrogen, 5 ;" oxygen, 6. 

 It contains more carbon, and is therefore probably stronger 

 than common flax, prepared by a putrefactive maceration. This 

 seems composed of carbon, 1 atom; hydrogen, 1 ; oxygen, 1. 

 But this is the theoretical representation of sugar by M. Gay- 

 Lussac and Dr. Prout ; and hence, these chemists would readily 

 explain, how linen rags may pass into the form of sugar by the 

 action of sulphuric acid. Wool approximates to carbon, 10 

 atoms; hydrogen, 3; oxygen, 4 ; azote, 1." 

 New Series, vol. v. 2 a 



