6 Etber. [Book VIII. 



Spirit of wine and the acids act with confiderable 

 violence on each other. When ftrong vitriolic acki is 

 poured on an equal quantity of rectified fpiritof wine, 

 a flrong heat, with a remarkable hiding noife, are ex- 

 cited j the two fubflances become coloured, and emit 

 a fweet fmell, refembling that of lemons, or the apple 

 called golden rennet. If the mixture is made in a 

 retort, and then fubmitted to diftillation in the well-- 

 regulated heat of a fand bath, a large receiver, kept 

 cool by the application of moiftened cloths, being 

 adapted, the volatile products may be condenfed. 

 Thefe are : i. Spirit of wine of a fweet fmell. 2. A 



thefe quantities, we find that they are fully fufficient for form- 

 ing the whole of the alkohol, carbonic acid, and acetous acid pro- 

 duced by- the fermentation. It is not, therefore, necefiary to fup- 

 pofe that any water has been decompofcd during the- experiment, 

 unlefs it is pretended that the oxygen and hydrogen exift in the 

 fugar in that Hate. On the contrary, i have already made it evi- 

 dent that hydrogen, cx\-gen, and charcoal, the three conftituent 

 elements of vegetables, remain in a ftate of equilibrium or mutual 

 union with each other, which fubiifts fo long as this union remains 

 undifturbed by increafed temperature, or by fome new compound 

 attraction ; and that then only thefe elements combine, two and t o 

 together, to form water and carbonic acid. 



' The effefts of the vinous fermentatron uponfugar are thus re- 

 duced to the mere feparation of its elements into two portion? ; 

 one part is oxygenated at the expence of the other, fo as to form 

 carbonic acid, \vhiii1 the other part, being difoxygenated in favour 

 of the former, is converted into the combuflible fubitance alko- 

 hol ; therefore, if it was poffible to re-unite alkohol and carbonic 

 acid together, we ought to form fugar. It is evident th the 

 charcoal and hydrogen in the alkohol do not exitt in tire ftate of 

 oil, they are combined with a portion of oxygen, ivhich renders 

 ihcm mifcib'e with water ; wherefore thefe three fubftances, oxy- 

 gen, hydrogen, and charcoal, exiil: here likewife, in a fpecies of 

 equilibritfrn or reciprocal combination ; and in fadr, when they 

 are rriade to pafs through a red hot tube of glafs or porcelain, this 

 onion or equilibrium is deftroyed, the elements become combined 

 two and wo, and water and carbonic acid are formed. 



fluid 



