WORK IN A VINEGAR FACTORY. 115 



by experience, but, as a rule, only enough should be taken to assure 

 the conversion of the entire quantity of amyl alcohol present. 



The fuse), oil contained in spirits of wine from grain consists 

 largely of a mixture of fatty acids and offers far greater resistance 

 to oxidation in the generators than amyl alcohol. The same may 

 be said of renanthic ether, the fusel oil of brandy. In working 

 with alcoholic liquid prepared with a large quantity of grain 

 spirits containing fusel oil, the smell of unchanged fusel oil is 

 perceptible in the vinegar besides the odors of the products of 

 its decomposition. With the use of small quantities of grain spirits 

 containing fusel oil, vinegar possessing a more agreeable odor than 

 that from entirely pure spirits is obtained. 



CHAPTER XII. 



EXECUTION OF THE WORK IN A VINEGAR FACTORY. 



THE factory being once in a proper state of working, the fur- 

 ther execution of the operation is very simple; a previously 

 determined quantity of alcoholic liquid is at stated intervals 

 admitted to the generators and the vinegar running off collected, 

 \Vith the operation running a normal course, attention has only 

 to be paid to the maintenance of the correct temperature in the 

 workroom and in the generators ; the chemical process runs its 

 regular course without further assistance. In many cases, how- 

 ever, deviations from the regular order occur. They are due to 

 external influences, such as changes in the temperature in the 

 interior of the generators, variations in the composition of the 

 alcoholic liquid, etc., and will be discussed in a special chapter. 



The capacity of a factory deperfds on the number of generators 

 in operation. A regularly working generator is supposed to be 

 capable of daily converting 3 liters (3.16 quarts) of absolute alcohol, 

 and this quantity will be taken as the basis for calculating the 

 execution of the operation. If, for instance, vinegar with 8 per 

 cent, of acetic acid is to be manufactured, alcohol of 8.8 per cent, 

 by weight has to be used, and to prepare this, 3 liters (3.10 



