3 S Vegetable Actts, [Book Vli f , 



The following are all the vegetable acids hithertc* 

 known. 



1. Acetous acid, or vinegar. 



2. Oxalic acid, or that of forrel and fugar. 



3. Tartarous acid. 



4. Pyro *, or empyreumatic, tartarous acid. 



5. Citric acid, or that of lemons. 



6. Malic acid, or that of apples. 



7. Pyro-mucous acid. 



8. Pyro-ligneous acid. 



9. Gallic acid, or that of galls. 



jo. Benzoic acid, or that of gum Benjamin. 



11. Camphoric acid. 



12. Succinic acid, or that of amber. 



Nitrous acid, repeatedly diftilled with gums, muci- 

 lages and fugar, is decompofed, the azote in part 

 cfcapes, and the oxygen uniting with the inflammable 

 matter of thefe fubftances, produces the acid of fugar. 

 By a continuation of the procefs, however, the hy- 

 drogen and charcoal of the mucilaginous matters are 

 feparaiied ; the charcoal, combining with the oxygen, 

 forms caironic acid gas, and the hydrogen either 

 efcapes in the (late of inflammable air, or, attracting 

 part of the oxygen, forms ware r. From this view of the 

 lubject, together with other tacts, it has been inferred, 

 that a greater or lefs proportion of vital air, united with 

 the other two general principles of vegetables, hydro- 

 gen and charcoal, produces all the various acids of 

 vegetables. Thus tartar is faid to have been con- 

 verted into the acid of apples, by treatment with 



* Pyro from the Gre^k tiv^ (fire) means any thing prepared 

 or extradited, by fire. Empyreumatic has the fame etymology and 

 meaning. 



,nitrous 



