306 EREMACAUSIS OR DECAY 



as in the case of an alloy of platinum and silver dissolving in 

 nitric acid, in which the platinum becomes oxidized by virtue of 

 an inductive action exercised upon it by the silver in the act of 

 its oxidation. In the preparation of vinegar, the hydrogen of 

 alcohol, with the formation of water and evolution of heat, is 

 oxidized at the expense of the oxygen in contact with it ; the 

 residue is aldehyde, a substance possessing as great an affinity 

 for oxygen as sulphurous acid, and by uniting directly with the 

 latter, it produces acetic acid. 



