PROCESS OP CONVERTING BEETS INTO SUGAR. 



23 



taste. It becomes a question whether the 

 Sulphuric Acid is decomposed in the 

 process. For this purpose M. I^a Grange, 

 took a given weight of sugar of milk, and 

 Sulphuric Acid and water, boiled them for 

 three hours in a retort, and the distilled 

 liquor was carefully examined by Barytes, 

 Litmus, and other tests, but neither the 

 sulphuric acid, sulphurous, acetic, nor 

 carbonic acid was produced, the liquor 

 being pure water. Afterwards on satura- 

 ting the acid contents of the retort with a 

 known weight of potash, and evaporating 

 the whole to dryness, the dry mass was less 

 by about an eighth part, than the united 

 weights of the sugar of milk and the 

 sulphate of potash, produced by the Sul- 

 phuric Acid and the alkali employed. 

 This loss of weight must therefore be ac- 

 counted for, in the water distilled over, as 

 no gas whatever was generated in the pro- 

 cess. 



Hence La Grange supposes, that the 

 operation of the Sul])huric Acid is to 

 disengage from the starch or sugar of milk, 

 so much hydrogen and oxygen, as will 

 produce water, and that the loss of these 

 principles, converts the remainder into 

 a saccharine matter. 



On the Sugar from Potato Starch. 



By Dr. Tulhill. 



A very interesting experiment on this 

 subject is related by Dr. Tuthill. One 

 pound and a half of potato starch was 

 mixed with six pints of distilled water, 

 and a quarter of an ounce by weight, oi 

 common sulphuric acid, in a common cov- 

 ered earthen vessel. — The mixture was 

 kept boiling for thirty-four hours with- 

 out intermission, fresh water being occa- 

 sionally added to supply the waste by 

 evaporation. At the end of twenty-four 

 hours the liquor had become sensibly 

 saccharine, and this quality continued to 

 increase as the boiling was prolonged. 



At the end of thirty-four hours, half an 

 ounce of finely powdered charcoal was 

 added, and the boiling continued two 

 hours longer. The acid was then satura 

 ted by lime, and the boiling continued for 

 another half hour, after which the liquid 

 was strained through calico, and the resi- 

 due in the filter washed with warm water. 

 This residue, when dry, weighed I of an 

 ounce, and was charcoal and sulphate of 



lime. The clear liquor was then evapo- 

 rated in a water bath to the consistence of 

 syrup, and set aside to crystallize. In 

 eight days it congealed into a crystalline 

 mass, tasting like common brown sugar 

 with treacle. One pound of this sugary 

 matter was then redissolved in four pounds 

 of water, a quarter of an ounce of yeast 

 added, and the mixture set to ferment. In 

 ten days the fermented liquor began to 

 smell sourish, and was immediately distil- 

 led. A pint and a half of the first run- 

 nings were alone collected, which redistil- 

 led, gave a weak ardent spirit, which from 

 its specific gravity was found by Blagden's 

 Tables, to contain 14 drams by measure 

 of proof spirit. 



The whole quantities used, and the pro- 

 duct were S| lbs. of potatoes, yielding 1^ 

 lbs. starch, which gave 1^ lb. of dry saccha- 

 rine matter, from which, after fermenta- 

 tion, as much ardent spirit was extracted 

 as would equal 14 drams, by measure, of 

 proof spirit. 



Observations on the three preceding 

 Articles. 



M. KirchofF's curious discovery of the 

 conversion of starch into sugar, by the 

 agency of sulphuric acid, is fully confirm- 

 ed by these experiments, but the explana- 

 tion of this singular change is very ob- 

 scure. — By a late analysis of several kinds 

 of vegetable matter, through the agency 

 of oxy muriate of potash, by Messrs. Gay 

 l^ussac and Thenard, these eminent Chem 

 ists think that they have established the 

 following facts, viz: 



1st. That a vegetable substance is always 

 acid when the oxygen which it contains 

 is in a greater proportion to the hydrogen 

 than that which constitutes water. 



2nd. That the vegetable substance is al- 

 ways resinous or oily, or alcoholic, when 

 ihe oxygen is in a less proportion to the 

 hydrogen, than to constitute water. 



" 3d. That the vegetable substance is an 

 alogous to sugar, starch, gum, ligneous 

 fibre, <§*c. when all the oxygen and hydro- 

 o-en united would exactly compose water. 



If there is any reliance to be placed on 

 these positions, it must follow that sugar, 

 starch, gum, and sugar of milk, may be 

 said to consist only of carbon and water; 

 and on a separate analysis of each, the 

 above Chemists estimate the carbon of su- 



