FABRICATION OF VINEGAR. 143 



the- formation of vinegar a continuous one, it is only necessary to 

 turn the barrel several times a day in order to saturate the shav- 

 ings with alcoholic liquid. The progress in the formation of vine- 

 gar is indicated by a thermometer placed in the bottom of the upper 

 chamber. The end of the process is indicated by the falling of the 

 thermometer. 



The apparatus is cleansed by rinsing the shavings, without re- 

 moving them from the barrel, with hot water, filling the barrel 

 with strong vinegar and drawing it off after 24 hours. 



According to the statements of the inventor, the advantages of 

 his apparatus consist in its cheapness, simple operation, greater 

 yield, saving of alcohol, and better quality of the product. 



It may, ho\vever, be remarked that the operation is not so 

 simple, since every generator has to be several times turned 

 daily, for which labor and space are required. How the appa- 

 ratus, which works exactly like a generator filled with shavings, 

 is to save alcohol and yield a greater product of a better quality 

 cannot be explained from a chemical standpoint. Just as little 

 can it be explained where the ferment indispensable for the 

 formation of vinegar is to come from if the apparatus is to be 

 cleansed with hot water, which kills all the ferment upon the 

 shavings, and only strong vinegar is to be poured in. 



Fabrication of Vinegar with the Assistance of Platinum Black. 



In considering the theory of the formation of vinegar it was 

 mentioned that finely divided platinum possesses the property of 

 converting alcohol into acetic acid. This property of platinum 

 black has been utilized for the purpose of manufacturing acetic 

 acid on a large scale. The apparatus used is composed of a 

 series of shelves about one foot apart, upon which rest a certain 

 number of shallow dishes of porcelain or stoneware. In the 

 centre of each of these and supported by stoneware or glass 

 tripods rest smaller dishes containing the platinum black. The 

 whole is covered with a glass case, if the apparatus is small, or a 

 frame of wood with glass windows and glass top for the produc- 

 tion of larger quantities of acetic acid. The air is made to cir- 

 culate slowly through the apparatus, and the temperature main- 



