ESSAY XX. 



EXPERIMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS ON ETHER. 1782. 



UNDER the term ether chemists understand a very volatile, 

 penetrating, colourless oil, which has an aromatic smell, 

 and is soluble in water. The first method of preparing 

 this oil from vitriolic acid and spirit of wine has been 

 long known. In later times, several methods of preparing 

 a liquor of the same kind from nitrous and marine acids, 

 with alcohol, have been proposed ; but it has been observed 

 that this latter acid was not of itself strong enough for 

 this purpose, but that, in order to produce the desired 

 effect, it must be united with tin, or with regulus of 

 antimony. The theory of the generation of ether is still 

 very imperfect, from the want of sufficiently decisive 

 experiments. The following may perhaps contribute to 

 elucidate this intricate subject : 



SECTION I. 



(a) If, in the preparation of vitriolic ether, a large 

 retort be made use of, and the fire be much increased 

 towards the end of the process, it is found that the 

 volatile sulphureous acid in the receiver is mixed with 

 vinegar, without any mark of aerial acid, either in the 

 cavity of the retort or of the receiver, (b) If 1 oz. of 

 pulverised manganese be put into a retort, with J oz. of 



