274 KSSAY xxv. 



added nitrous acid to it in various proportions ; but he only 

 produced a phlogistication of the nitrous acid, and rendered 

 the vinegar more free from phlogiston. The properties of 

 vinegar so much dephlogisticated, elude, he adds, further 

 examination, as it would be impossible entirely to separate 

 the one acid from the other. I think, however, that this 

 might have been done by vegetable alkali, lime, and . heavy 

 earth. The nitrous acid, combined with vegetable alkali, 

 would have shot into the ordinary hexangular crystals ; the 

 acetous acid, had it remained unchanged, would have formed 

 the difficultly crystallisable compound ; and, had it approached 

 to acid of sugar, it would still have constituted a neutral salt 

 that does not readily crystallise. Nitrous acid only forms 

 difficultly crystallisable compounds, while the crystals vinegar 

 forms with it are so little liable to deliquesce, that they 

 effloresce in the open air. 1 The effects produced by these 

 acids on heavy earth would have been directly opposite, the 

 nitrous acid forming salts difficult of solution, the acetous 

 such as deliquesce (Bergm. Op., vol. iii. p. 391). But should 

 the latter have approached to the nature of acid of sugar, 

 transparent crystals would immediately have fallen down 

 (loc. cit., p. 392). I think, therefore, that one might several 

 times distil off nitrous acid from vinegar ; and when the 

 former, upon being newly added, yields no more red vapours, 

 saturate with calcareous or heavy earth, and separate the 

 ley that will not shoot from the crystals. The nature of 

 the salt which does not contain nitrous acid may be more 

 certainly determined by its figure, or the effects of other 

 salts, in consequence of a double elective attraction. One 

 might add fresh nitrous acid to the separated salt, or to the 

 whole mixture, without any separation of the nitrous salt, 



1 IV.rhaps also spirit of wine would separate nitrated from acetated 

 lime. 



