ACETIC ACID. 133 



ed state, \ve have it in our power, by pouring 

 the liquid portion off the crystals, to obtain them 

 in a state of great purity, and quite dry. It is 

 in this way that crystallized acetic acid is pre- 

 pared by Mr. Ramsay of Glasgow. By drying 

 these crystals on blotting paper, at a low tempe- 

 rature, I freed them completely from all adher- 

 ing liquid, and made them as dry as the crystals 

 of tartaric acid. 



Putting a quantity of these dry crystals into a 

 phial, I melted them by leaving them for 24 

 hours in a warm room. The liquid thus obtain- 

 ed did not crystallize, though kept for a long 

 time in a temperature as low as 40 ; but if we 

 raise it to the temperature of 45, and throw into 

 it a single crystal of acetic acid, a number of 

 crystalline spiculse dart out with rapidity all over 

 the liquid, and the temperature rises from 45 

 to 51. By degrees, after this commencement 

 of crystallization, the whole liquid assumes the 

 solid form, although the temperature be not 

 lower than 45. 



These crystals, while in a liquid state, and at 

 the temperature of 60, have a specific gravity of 

 1-06296. 



6. I dissolved 22*125 grains of these crystals contain 



one atom of 



in water, and added to the solution 26*25 grains water. 

 of anhydrous carbonate of potash, obtained by 

 exposing bicarbonate of potash to a red heat. 

 This addition just neutralized the acid, for the 



13 





