134 COMBUSTIBLE ACIDS. 



mixture produced no change upon the colour of 

 litmus or cudbear paper. If we divide each of 

 the substances employed by 3, the consequences 

 which I mean to draw from the experiment will 

 be plainer. 



JJLj^L = 7'375 ; and 



We may say, then, that 7*375 grains of crystals 

 of acetic acid were just neutralized by 8*75 

 grains of anhydrous carbonate of potash ; but 

 8*75 grains of this carbonate contain just 6 grains 

 of potash, which is equivalent to an atom. Con- 

 sequently, 7'375 grains of the crystals of acetic 

 acid must contain just 6*Q5 grains of real acetic 

 acid ; for that is the quantity requisite to satu- 

 rate 6 grains of potash. The remainder of the 

 weight of the acid is obviously water, and it 

 amounts to 1*125, which is equivalent to an atom 

 of water. Thus it appears that the crystals of 

 acetic acid are composed of 



1 atom real acid 6-25 



1 atom water . 1-125 



7-375 



They do not contain 2 atoms of water, as I for- 

 merly supposed, misled by the statements of 

 Mollerat, which I find to be inaccurate. 



