CONTENTS. 



PART I. 



THE MANUFACTURE OF VINEGAR. 

 CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTION. 



PAGE 



Ordinary vinegar, what it is ; The discovery of vinegar ; Use of vinegar 

 as a medicine by Hippocrates ; Early knowledge of the property of 

 vinegar of dissolving calcareous earths ; The dissolving of large pearls 

 in vinegar by Cleopatra . . . . . . . . .17 



The use of vinegar by Hannibal for dissolving rocks ; No early definite 

 knowledge of the cause of the production of vinegar; The process 

 of increasing the strength of wine-vinegar made known by Gerber in 

 the eighth century; Other historical data regarding vinegar; The 

 first preparation of acetic acid in a pure state and the discovery of 

 the property of very strong acetic acid to crystallize at a low temper- 

 ature ; Historical data regarding the formation of an acid body in the 

 dry distillation of wood ; Determination of the exact chemical consti- 

 tution of acetic acid by Berzelius and that of alcohol by Saussure ; 

 Historical data relating to the generation of acetic acid . . .18 

 The introduction of the quick process of manufacturing vinegar, in 1823, 

 by Schiitzenbach ; A method of manufacturing vinegar from wine 

 made known by Boerhaave ; ScMitzenbach's original plan of working 

 still in use in some localities ; Necessity of progress in the manufac- 

 ture of vinegar by the quick process; The constantly increasing diffi- 

 culties in the manufacture of vinegar from alcohol . . . .19 



Great purity of the acetic acid at present produced from wood ; Use of 

 "vinegar essence" for pickling, etc. ; Difference between the acetic 

 acid produced from wood and vinegar prepared from various sub- 

 stances ,....... 20 



Principal defects in manufacturing vinegar by the quick process in general 

 use ... 21 



