"270 VINEGAR, CIDER, AND FRUIT- WINES. 



poses the acetate of sodium which remains in the meat, forming- 

 sodium chloride or common salt, and ammonium acetate. The 

 meat swells and resumes the color and reactions of fresh meat. 

 Animals, particularly fish and poultry, may be preserved entire 

 for market purposes in a pickle of sodium acetate, the only pre- 

 caution necessary being the removal of the intestines. Under 

 the influence of the pickle the meat loses about one-fourth of its 

 weight and another quarter disappears when it is dried. The 

 process is also said to be very well adapted to the preservation 

 of vegetables. These generally lose thereby five-sixths of their 

 weight. When needed for use, it is only necessary to soak them 

 for twelve hours in water and then cook them as if entirely fresh. 



A mixture of dephlegmated sodium acetate with saltpetre ex- 

 plodes with great violence on heating. According to Violette, a 

 mixture of saltpetre 75 parts, sulphur 12.5, and sodium acetate 

 25, acts more vigorously than gunpowder and can be granulated. 



Ammonium acetate, neutral acetate of ammonia, XH,,C,HoO . 



*/ 4/ * o 2 



This substance is obtained by neutralizing acetic acid with carbo- 

 nate of ammonia, or, better, by saturating glacial acetic acid with 

 dry ammonia gas. It is very difficult to obtain in the crystalline 

 form on account of its aqueous solution giving off ammonia when 

 evaporated, thus becoming converted into the acid salt. When 

 subjected to dry distillation ammonia gas escapes first ; above 320 

 F. there is formed, besides water, chiefly acetamide (C 2 H 5 1S T O), a 

 white crystalline body which is also formed, besides alcohol, on 

 heating acetic ether with liquid ammonia in a closed vessel to 

 about 266 F. 



In medicine ammonium acetate has long been used as a 

 diaphoretic. 



Calcium acetate Ca(C 2 H 3 O 2 ) 2 is prepared from burnt lime or 

 calcium carbonate (marble, chalk) and dilute acetic acid. The 

 preparation of the crude calcium acetate (brown salt) has been 

 previously described under wood-vinegar. To obtain the pure 

 salt crystallized, add to a concentrated aqueous solution several 

 .times its volume of ordinary alcohol ; the salt deposits in the 

 course of 24 hours. 



The crystals of the pure salt form white acicular prisms which 

 effloresce in the air and are soluble in water and in alcohol ; they 



