138 ESSAY VII. 



resinous particles of the benzoin, and thought thus to extract 

 all the salt existing in this resin. I therefore boiled pounded 

 benzoin with alkaline ley, and afterwards saturated it with 

 an acid. I thus obtained the salt of benzoin by precipita- 

 tion ; but I here likewise met with this inconvenience, that 

 the powder of benzoin ran together during the boiling, and 

 lioated on the surface in the form of a tenacious resin. 



There remained one way more to be tried, viz. to boil 

 the benzoin with quicklime. As the particles of the lime, 

 by interposing themselves between the particles of the 

 benzoin, might prevent their running together, and as lime 

 has likewise the property of acting upon the resinous 

 particles, this promised to be a good way of extracting the 

 salt from the benzoin. The salt thus obtained is perfectly 

 free from empyreumatic oil, with which the Hewers of benzoin 

 are commonly contaminated, it is consequently also free from 

 the smell which they otherwise yield. An equal, if not a 

 greater quantity of salt is obtained by this process than by 

 distillation. 1 Ib. of the resin yielded from 12 to 14 drms. 

 of salt by this new method, which is as follows : 



Upon 4 oz. of unslaked lime pour 1 2 oz. of water, and, after 

 the ebullition is over, add 8 Ib. more(l Ib. = 12 oz.) of water; 

 then put 1 Ib. of finely pounded resin of benzoin into a tinned 

 pan, pour upon it first about 6 oz. of the above lime-water, mix 

 them well together, and thus successively add the rest of the 

 lime-water. If it be poured in all at once, it will not mix with 

 the benzoin, which will likewise coagulate, and run together 

 into a mass. This mixture ought to be boiled over a gentle 

 fire for half an hour with constant agitation ; then take it 

 from the fire, let it stand quiet for an hour, in order that it 

 may settle ; pour off the supernatant limpid liquor into a 

 glass vessel. Upon the remainder in the pan pour 8 Ib. 

 more of lime-water; boil them together for half an hour, 



