ITIC ACID. 



ACOXITfM. 



M 



Thu theory i* equally applicable to the organic acid*. The formula 

 of acetic aci.l. HOC. HO,, becomes H,C,H,0. ; and so with other*. 

 Further elucidative! of the theories of salt* will be found in the article 

 SALTS. 



It may be here prv|>er to notice the method adopted by the framvrs 

 nf the r rench nomenclature, in giving name* to different acid*. It 

 ha* been already mentioned, that oxygen wu supposed t be the 

 acidifying principle, and it wai found that, by combining in different 

 proportion* with the name substance, it formed ncida of very different 

 properties : but it was not then known tliat oxygen combined with 

 any one body to form more than two acid*. It wan, however, proved 

 to unite with sulphur in two different proportion*; and in thin, and 

 nimilar case*, the name of the acid which contained leant oxygen waa 

 made to end in tua, and that which contained more in if; thug 

 nulphuroiu acid contain* lea* oxygen than sulphunV ncid. 



Cues have, however, occurred during the progress of clinical 

 acjeoce, requiring an extrusion of this principle : an ncid ha* been 

 formed which contain* lem oxygen combined with sulphur than in the 

 -ulphurous, and this is called Ay/josulphurous acid ; another containing 

 more oxygen than the sulphurous, but less than the sulphuric, and 

 thi* in termed Ay/xwulphuric acid. An acid has also been formed 

 which contain* more oxygen than the chloric this has been called 

 yrrchloric acid. 



Acid* which form neutral salt* by combining with one equivalent 

 of a bam are said to l>e mo*ooa*iV. a.- the acetic and nitric acid*; 

 tho*e which eomliine with two equivalent* of bane are said to be l,il,<i.ii-; 

 a* tartaric and pyropho*phoric ncid*, whilst those which require three 

 equivalents of base to form a neutral salt are termed trlbaeic acids. 

 [CmOnCAL NOMKXCLATI-RK.] . 



The mean* adopted for preparing the acids, whether from the 

 natural compounds which contain them, or by the direct combination 

 of their component part*, are almost as various as the acids themselves. 

 For an account of the processes employed in obtaining them, and of the 

 numerous and important purposes to which the acids are applied in 

 medicine, science, and the art*, or for domestic uses, we refer the 

 reader to each particular acid Although in the course of the present 

 work Dome acids of minor importance will occasionally be mentioned, 

 the following are those which, as being used either in scientific 

 researches, in medicine, or the arts, will be more particularly treated 

 of in their respective places : 



ACID*. 



Acetic. 



Aconitic. 



Acrylic. 



Adipic. 



AUuric. 



AlUnturic. 



Alloxanic. 



Amidobrnzoic. 



Amjrgualic. 



Angelic. 



Anilic. 



AnUic. 



Anlhranillc. 



Antlmunii. 



Antimoniouft. 



Apocmlc. 



Anenlc. 



AnnUam. 



Aprtic. 



IU;mtithic. 



Borac ic. 



Boron 1 n oric. 



Hromic. 



Batyric. 



Camphoric. 



Caprlc. 



Caprrlic. 



Carbamic. 



CwbazoUc. 



Carbolic. 



Carbonic. 



CarboTlnlr. 



Carmlnic. 



.,:. 



Chlorochromic. 



Chloroulphuric. 



Cbolalic. . 



Cholfic. 



Cholle. 



Chromic. 



Cinnamic. 



Citric. 



trcnic. 



Croconic. 



Cyanic. 



Cyanurii. 



Dialuric. 



Dlnltrocthvlic. 



Dithlonic. ' 



Krythric. 



Fcrri.lcyanic. 



Fcrrocyanir. 



Formic. 



Fnlmlnlr. 



Kulminurlc. 



Oallic. 



Olucic. 



Gljrcollc. 



Illpporic. 



Ilumolactlc. 



Ilumlc. 



Hjrdrio<llc. 



llrdrobromic. 



Hydrochloric. 



I M M : 



Hydrofluoric. 



Hydrofluoiiillclc. 



IlydrcKUlphocranlc. 



IlTdrmulphnric. 



Hypocliloroiu. 



Hyponltric. 



llrponltrou*. 



HrnophaiphoTotu. 



Hyposulphuric. 



llyposulphuroug. 



lodic. 



Lactic. 



Laurie. 



Malic. 



Marpiric. 



Meconic. 



Mcllitic.' 



Meaoxalic. 



Metastannic. 



Molybdic. 



Mucic. 



M>Tistic. 



Nitric. 



Nitroranriatic. 



iKnanthic. 



(Knanthylic. 



Olric. 



Oamlc. 



Uxallc. 



Oxalorlnic. 



Oxamlc. 



Palmitic. 



Parabanlc. 



Pectlc. 



Pclargonlc. 



Pcntathlonlc. 



Perchloric. 



Periodic. 



Permaniranic. 



Phonphorlc. 



Pbonphuruiii*. 



Phoiphorlnlc. 



Phthallc. 



Picric. 



Propionlc. 



Prawlc. 



Pyro(fllie. 



PyroligneouH. 



Pyrophosphoric. 



Pyroraccmic. 



Pyrotartari' . 



Ilacemic. 



llhodizonic. 



Hubert-time. 



Saccharic. 



Salicylic. 



Sebacic. 



Sclcnic. 



Sclcnioiu. 



Bilicic. 



sinapic. 



Stannic. 



Btearic. 



Suberic. 



Snccinic. 



Hulphacelie. 



Stilphnntinionir. 



KnlphimtimoniouK 



Sulphiirscnic. 



Slllpliar-rlli'Hi-. 



Hulphovinic. 



Sulphuric. 



Sulphurous. 



T.innic. 



Tartaric. 



Telluric. 



Tclliiroiu. 



T.t rath ionic. 



Titanic. 



Trlchoni 



Tungntir. 



rirolc. 



Ma, 



Valeric. 



Xanthlc. 



ACOXITIC ACID. 3HO. f, 1 H.,O,(K<jriKTir AriD ; ClTBlDK A< ..,. 

 rxirts natnrnlly in AnmilHm najirllnt. Ddpkhttom connilida, and Kifi- 

 M* firialil', but is inont easily obtained by the action ,,f 

 citric acid. Crystallised citric acid is submitted to distillation until 

 oily streaks appear in the receiver. The reoiduc contains nconitic acid, 

 which if diMolred out by abnolut* alcohol, ctherified by hydr<"lil..,i, 

 acid, and then obtained a* a pota*h salt by the action of caustic potash 

 upon the aormitic ether. Aconitic acid i tribasic ; it crystnlliso* 

 indutinctly. At a temperature of about 20* it is docomponcd into a 



crystalline >ub*tance called itaeumic acid, and an oily liijuid called 

 citracimic aeiti, both having the formula 2HO.C...H.O... 



ACONITINE (f^H.jNO,.). An alkaloid exwtlng in Aconilum. 

 N<i/x//Kf, and other varieties of the aconite. It < rysUllises from a 

 solution in dilute alcohol in white grain* ; it i* al*o often obtained in 

 the state of a vitreous, transparent, compact mam. It is ino<! 

 but intensely bitter and acrid. It i* extremely ixnoonous ; one 6Wh ..( 

 a grain i* sufficient to kill a sparrow in a few minute*, and a tenth 

 of a grain instantly. It is very slightly soluble in cold water, unalterable 

 in the air, very fusible, and not volatile; its alkaline re-nction 

 distinctly marked ; it requires 50 parts of boiling water to dissolve it, 

 nnd the solution does not become turbid on cooling ; it i* very soluble 

 in alcohol, and to a les* extent in ether. Aoonitine form* perfectly 

 neutral salts. Those which have been examined crystallise with great 

 difficulty, and dry in the state of a bitter gummy man, which is acrid 

 and very poisonous. Fuming nitric acid duaolves them without 

 colour ; moistened with concentrated sulphuric acid, they assume a 

 colour, at first yellow and then reddish violet. Infusion of galls pro- 

 duce* in their solution an abundant precipitate of white flocculi, and 

 solution of iodine a kermes-coloured precipitate. Aconitine is said by 

 Oeiger and Hease to dilate the pupil, but that obtained by Dr. Tunilmll 

 contract* it ; and Dr. Pereira mentions the iwer of contracting the 

 pupil a* one of the distinctive properties of the alkaloid. When I 

 to the skin in very minute quantity, it produces a sensation of intense 

 heat and numbness. It is used medicinally in the form of ointment, 

 and is of great use in severe neuralgia, and rheumatic affect ions. 



ACONl'TUM (.WwfaAoorf or Wo&Uau), Medical Pn,xrt\tt of. 

 The botanical characters of this genus of Ranunculaceoiis pi nit - 

 have been already given. [NAT. HIST. Drv., vol. i. p. 58.1 AVhirh 

 specie* merit* the preference as a medicinal agent is a greatly contf 

 verted (Hiint. The London and Dublin Pharmacopa-ias. 'following the 

 notions of Decandolle as to the identity of his Ar<m\tuu( , 

 var. fStHrKamm, with the A. iiajdlu* omcinnlis, figured by Stork 

 in his ' Libellus de Stramonio, Hyoscyamio, Aconito, 1 Yindoboii. 1 7<i-. 

 have given that as the officinal one, while the Kdinlnirgh College has 

 retained the common A. naptllm. The preponderance of ev 

 and good sense is in favour of the latter, as, besides the almost im]"^ 

 sibility of procuring the plant indicated by the two former, since it is 

 only a rare inmate of botanic gardens, it is substituting n confessedly 

 less potent for a more potent plant. The ' London PnarmaoopojU' 

 has restored in the edition of 1851, the A.napdliu, as the othYinal 

 pi. nit. But besides this, two other species are grown at the physie- 

 gardens at Mitcham, whence the London market is chiefly nippued 

 One, a party-coloured sort, having white (lowers with a little blue in 

 them: perhaps intended for the A. 7iiV,i/ri (Decandolle); another 

 A. e.raltatm (Beruhardi), synonymous with A. decorum (Reicheubach). 

 This, if found equally potent as the common .1. <(/,>//,/.. has much 

 advantage. Its tall size supplies more leaves, and as it does not (lower 

 till much later in the year (September) its leave* retain their virtue, 

 till the flowers begin to fade and can yield a supply of : 

 when these are wanted, long after the common species have !-... m. 

 inert. A.fero.r is now largely imported from India, in a dry M 

 yield aconitine, of which it contains three time* as miu'li 

 Kuro|>ean sjiecies. The aconite of Stork, whatevei s|-ries he used. 

 was a plant possessed of great acrimony, while A. ji'nii--i>/nium ha* 

 scarcely n perceptibly acrid taste. The officinal parts ore the root and 

 leaves. But the needs might be added with propriety. Ki cry )vnt ,,t 

 the plant has n nnrcotico-acrid property. The live plant has little ,.t 

 the virose repulsive odour common to poisonous vegetables : n.'\, rtli. 

 lea very sensitive individuals, by merely smelling the tlowei 

 t lint, el, and had dimneas of vision for some days, and handling the 

 tresh plant has occasioned tremblings and faintnew. Honey collected 

 from these (lowers has caused severe suffering and (TO .1, ith. In 

 making the essential extract, and in procuring the alkaloid aeonitine, 

 the va|Kiura have |KiwerfnlIy affected the operators; lim.r mn. h care 

 is required on their part. A small piece of the leaf, root, or a single 

 seed, if chewed, cause* a feeling of tingling, followed by nunil-> 

 the li|w and tongue, which last,-, for hour*. A greater portion causes 

 these sensations in the palate nnd throat, where in larger or poisonous 

 dum a choking sensation is felt The resemblance of many ac 

 especially before flowering, to several umbelliferous plant* in common 

 use, such as celery, lovage, masterwort, tc., prove* a frequent source 

 of ]H)ioning by them ; a calamity further augmented by the inconsi- 

 derate practice of giving ignorant persons portions of the loaves to chew, 

 or a* a kind of parsley. (See a melancholy case of poisoning by 

 AfinitHM Mtoaumlaninn, in Johnson's ' Hedico-Chirurg. Review', 1 

 vol. Ixi. ]>. 2ti4.) Such unprincipled practice* cannot be too severely 



i, |,r,.l.:,t.,l N mplete analysis of the root or leave* of the 



.1. M/>rlltii has hitherto Ixsen published, though Pallas analysed tin; 

 root of A. liimrlimiim and BiichoU the leaves of A. nuxlii'm'. Scln.id. 

 It is proliable that all the specie* contain similar constituents, ilitfering 

 only in degree, the mogt powerful being the A. fern.c (Wallich, ' I'l. 

 A*iat. Hnri..ies.' i. t. 41) or Bisk of Northern India. The m, 

 portant are the alkaloid aconitine, nconitic acid, n fatty oil. anil jwrhapx 

 a vohttile acrid principle. The latter probably renult* from tin' 

 decomposition of aconitine by the action of heat. Almost all ranun- 

 oulaceous plant* have an acrid principle, which is very easily driven off 

 by heat Much care i* therefore requisite in drying thr root 01 



