380 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOR. 



yielded the sugar for the fermentation. There are also acci- 

 dental circumstances which cause the alcohol to possess a 

 characteristic flavour. For example, whiskey is spirit distilled 

 from malt wort, and owes its flavour to the fact that the malt 

 is dried over a peat fire. The flavour of gin is produced by 

 adding juniper berries to the liquid in process of distillation. 

 Urandy is truly " spirits of wine," being obtained from wines, 

 and coloured more or less with burnt sugar. Rum comes from 

 molasses. Peppermint carries with it the essential oil of the 

 plant. Commercial " spirits of wine " is a mixture of absolute 

 alcohol and 10 per cent, of water. This is the strongest spirit 

 which can be got by simple distillation. To obtain from this 

 spirit absolute or anhydrous alcohol, any spirit is rectified from 

 charcoal, which retains the essential oils which give its charac- 

 teristic flavour. Half its weight of quick-lime is now added, 

 and in two or three days it falls to powder, being slaked at the 

 expense of the water in the spirit. Another distillation of this 

 gives absolute alcohol. 



Proof spirit is defined by law as containing 49'24 per cent, of 

 alcohol. It took its appellation from the process of testing it, 

 which was by moistening gunpowder with the spirit, and then 

 igniting it. If the powder fired, the spirit was said to be "over 

 proof ; " if, on the other hand, it contained sufficient water to 

 prevent its combustion, it was "under proof." The presence of 

 alcohol in a liquid may be made apparent by saturating it with 

 potassic carbonate. This salt is not soluble in alcohol, whereas ifc 

 is readily soluble in water : hence, the alcohol rises to the surface. 



If the vapour of alcohol be passed through red-hot tubes, it is 

 decomposed, yielding various products, according to the tempera- 

 ture ; at a bright red heat, carbon is deposited and hydrogen 

 escapes. At a lower temperature naphthaline appears ; and, at 

 a still lower heat, olefiant, marsh, and carbonic oxide gases, 

 acetylene, and water are produced. 



Alcohol burns thus 



C-.H.O + 6O = 2CO, + 3H,O 



2 +6=4 Condensed. 



The figures represent the volumes of the gases. 



Aldehyde. Alcohol readily oxidises, even in the presence of 

 water, forming aldehyde (C 2 H 4 O) ; that is, two atoms cf H are 

 burnt by the oxygen. The process does not rest here. Another 

 atom of oxygen is assimilated, forming acetic acid (C 2 H 4 O 2 ). 

 This will account for the " souring" of beer, and the production 

 of vinegar. 



Wines are the fermented juice of the grape. Their various 

 flavours depend upon the grapes from which they are expressed, 

 of which there are more than 500 kinds. The colour of the 

 wine does not depend on that of the grape, but is produced by 

 allowing the skins of the fruit to remain in the must (the expressed 

 juice of the grape) during fermentation, when the alcohol dissolves 

 the colouring matter of the skin, and communicates to the wine 

 .the tint. " Fruity " and " dry " wines depend upon the point at 

 which fermentation is checked. If all the sugar be transformed 

 into alcohol, carbonic anhydride, and water, a "dry" wine is 

 the result ; but if not, a " fruity " wine is produced. If the wine 

 be "bottled" before the fermentation is completed, an effer- 

 vescing wine is secured. The alterations which wines undergo, 

 if kept for a length of time, appear to be due to the gradual 

 deposition of potassic tartrate (KH,C 4 H 4 6 ), which is rendered 

 more insoluble as rich wires gradually continue to furnish more 

 alcohol from a further fermentation of their sugar. This salt 

 also carries down with it some of the colouring matter, and 

 thus lightens the wine. This precipitate forms the crust in ports. 

 As this slow process is going on, certain fragrant ethers are 

 'Iso produced, which give the wine its " bouquet." The quantity 

 Of alcohol in different beverages is given in this table : 



Port . 



Madeira 



Sherry 



15 per cent. 

 14-5 

 H 



Claret . 

 Ale. . 

 Porter . 



8 per cent. 

 6 



5 



The characteristic fragrance of all wines is due to the presence 

 of a minute quantity of aenanthic ether. 



Alcohol acts on acids by replacing their H by a molecule of 

 C S H S , thus 



C,H S ,C1; 



HNO = 



Propyl Alcohol 



0). When the distillation of French 



Ethylic chloride and nitrate are the results of the actions ; a 

 further reaction will be noticed in the production of ether. 



brandy is about to end, the temperature being at 96, this 

 alcohol comes off. It forms compounds which resemble the 

 ethyl group. When it is oxidised, propionic acid is formed. 



(C H ^ 

 Butylic Alcohol * *-rJ i O) is found among the last products 



of the distillation of spirits from beetroot molasses. 



(C* TT ) 

 Amylic Alcohol * 5 Tj 11 [ 0) derives its name from amylum 



(starch), since it is procured from fermented potatoes. It ha3 

 a peculiar offensive odour, and is frequently an impurity in 

 brandy derived from this source. It oxidises into valeric acid. 

 Ceiyl Alcohol is a white solid which is present in spermaceti, 

 Melissylic Alcohol is also a solid contained in bees'-wax. 



ETHER (Q 3 H 5 ] 0). Boiling point, 35. 



When two volumes of strong spirits of wine are mixed wi& 

 three of sulphuric acid, strong chemical action ensues : 



represents the change which takes place. A molecule of ot '..,.! 

 takes the place of an atom of H in the sulphuric acid, thu 

 forming hydric-ethyl-sulphate, or 



Sulphovinic Acid. This acid reacts on. a second molecule 

 alcohol, thus 





H 



producing ether and sulphuric acid. Hence no sulphuric acid 

 is removed during the etherification, but a constant supply of 

 alcohol is added to the retort, which is kept at a temperature of 

 140. A mixture of ether and water condenses in the receiver. 



To procure the ether perfectly pure it must be distilled again 

 from sodic hydrate, or even metallic sodium, by which the 

 water and alcohol will be retained. Ether is a very mobile 

 liquid, emitting the well-known ethereal odour; at 0, its specific? 

 gravity is - 736. It dissolves in 14 times its volume of water. 

 If an insufficient quantity of water be present, ether containing 

 about gg its volume of water appears as a supernatant stratum 

 (Williamson). Its vapour is 2^ times heavier than the air, and 

 therefore can, like carbonic anhydride, be poured from one vessel 

 to another. Owing to its rapidity of evaporation when poured on 

 the hand, it produces great cold. The other alcohols produce 

 corresponding ethers. 



A large number of ethers of a compound structure can bo 

 made by replacement, such as 



C] 



Methyl-ethyl ether, .-, : 



Methyl-amyl ether, ,-, ' 



^511 



Ethyl-butyl ether, 



^ 5 I O, 



etc. etc. 



For the numerous compounds produced by replacing thess 

 hydro-carbon radicals by inorganic elements, and other organic 

 radicals, a larger work must be consulted, as any attempt to 

 notice them in our limited space can only lead to inevitable 

 confusion. 



Ether was much valued for its anaesthetic properties, but has 

 been altogether superseded by chloroform, which does not leave 

 such objectionable after-effects. 



Chloroform (CHC1 3 ) is obtained by distillation from a mixture 

 of water, spirits of wine, and bleaching powder. 



The fact that Organic Chemistry is " the chemistry of com- 

 pound radicals," is even more clearly illustrated by a series of 

 compounds formed on the ammonia type. 



Hitherto we have only noticed the replacement of H in the 

 water type by the radicals of the group of alcohols given above. 

 If we cause the ethyl molecule to replace successively one, two, or 



H ) C 2 H 5 } 



three atoms of the H in H > N, or ammonia, we have H > N, 

 H H j 



ethylamine 



C 2 H 5 



C 2 H 5 



H 



N, di-ethylamine ; and C 2 



tri. 



ethylamine. 



These compound ammonias may be formed by the action of 



