ON ETHER 223 



separated ; it resembled in its smell nitrous ether, when 

 it is mixed with dephlogisticated muriatic acid. I luted 

 the receiver again to the neck of the retort, and continued 

 the distillation to dryness. by which operation I obtained 

 more ether; some of which floated upon the surface, and 

 the rest kept at the bottom, (b) I then distilled a mixture 

 of 3 oz. of powdered manganese, 1 oz. of vitriolic acid, and 

 3 oz. both of common salt and of spirit of wine, and observed 

 the same phenomena, and obtained the same products as 

 in (a), (c) I mixed 3 oz. of powdered manganese with the 

 same quantity of common muriatic acid in a retort, placed 

 the mass in warm sand, and applied a receiver, which con- 

 tained 3 oz. of spirit of wine. The muriatic acid now went 

 over in a dephlogisticated state into the spirit of wine, which 

 soon grew very warm, though the neck of the retort was 

 cold. Some time after all the effervescence had subsided 

 in the retort, I poured the spirit out of the receiver into 

 another retort, and distilled it by a gentle heat. At first 

 some ether went over, having the smell of nitrous ether. 

 At the end of the process, another kind of ether, or rather 

 oil, came over, which sunk to the bottom, and at last 

 muriatic acid passed over, (d) I dissolved some bismuth 

 in aqua regia, consisting of three parts of muriatic and 

 one part of nitrous acid. This solution I evaporated to 

 the consistence of a syrup, then mixed it with an equal 

 quantity of spirit of wine, and distilled the mass by a gentle 

 fire. At first pure spirit of wine passed over, which was 

 followed by some ether that had exactly the smell of 

 vitriolic ether. (e) Iron was the last among the metals 

 by means of which I could produce ether with muriatic 

 acid. I saturated muriatic acid, by boiling it with crocus 

 martis (for with iron filings no ether can be produced). 

 The solution I evaporated to the consistence of honey, and 



