272 CONSIDERATION OF CARBON COMPOUNDS. 



of a neutral reaction, has never been solidified, but at 110 

 becomes syrupy; when mixed with water a contraction of 

 volume occurs, and heat is liberated ; the attraction of alcohol 

 for water is so great that strong alcohol absorbs moisture from 

 the air or abstracts it from membranes, tissues, and other 

 similar substances immersed in it ; to this property are due its 

 coagulating action on albumen, and its preservative action on 

 animal substances. The solvent powers of alcohol are very ex- 

 tensive, both for inorganic and organic substances ; of the latter 

 it readily dissolves essential oils, resins, alkaloids, and many 

 other bodies, for which reason it is used in the manufacture of 

 the numerous officinal tinctures, extracts, and fluid extracts. 



Alcoholic liquors. Numerous substances containing sugar or 

 starch (which may be converted into sugar) are used in the 

 manufacture of the various alcoholic liquors, all of which con- 

 tain more or less of ethyl alcohol, besides coloring matter, 

 ethers, compound ethers, and many other substances. 



White and red wines are obtained by the fermentation of the 

 grape-juice; the so-called light wines contain from 10 to 12, the 

 strong wines, such as port and sherry, from 19 to 25 per cent, of 

 alcohol ; if the grapes contain much sugar, only a portion of it 

 is converted into alcohol, whilst another portion is left unde- 

 composed, such wines are known as sweet wines. Effervescent 

 wines, as champagne, are bottled before the fermentation is com- 

 plete ; the carbonic acid is disengaged under pressure and re- 

 tained in solution in the liquid. 



Beer is prepared by fermentation of germinated grain (gener- 

 ally barley) to which much water and some hops have been 

 added ; the active principle of hops is lupulin, which confers on 

 the beer a pleasant, bitter flavor, and the property of keeping 

 without injury. Light beers have from 2 to 4, strong beers, as 

 porter or stout, from 4 to 6 per cent, of alcohol. 



Spirits differ from either wines or beers in so far as the latter 

 are not distilled, and therefore contain also non-volatile organic 

 and inorganic substances, as salts, etc., not found in the spirits, 

 which are distilled liquids containing volatile compounds only. 



Moreover, the quantity of alcohol in spirits is very much 

 larger, and varies from 45 to 55 per cent. Of distilled spirits 

 may be mentioned : American whiskey, made from fermented rye 



