ADI 



ADJ 



able difficulty, rather frying as a piece of 

 soap would do, and disengaging at the 

 same time ammoniacal vapours. Four 

 pounds being put into a glass retort, and 

 submitted to slow distillation in a water 

 bath, afforded in the space of three weeks 

 eight ounces of a clear watery fluid, with 

 a foetid odour, turning syrup of violets 

 green, and manifestly containing ammonia 

 in solution ; the soapy matter remaining 

 in the retort had acquired a greater con- 

 sistence, was become less fusible, of a 

 deeper brown colour, and upon cooling, 

 was evidently drier than before, though 

 not admitting of being 1 broken. Eight 

 ounces of soapy matter, white and puri- 

 fied, were mixed with an equal weight of 

 powdered quick lime ; on the addition of 

 a little water, the mass heated, swelled, 

 and disengaged a very strongly ammoni- 

 acal vapour, accompanied by a peculiar 

 putrescent smell ; a sufficiency of water 

 being then added to bring the whole to 

 the state of an emulsion, it was heated to 

 ebullition, much ammoniacal vapour es- 

 caping at the same time ; the liquor being 

 thrown on a filter, passed perfectly clear 

 and colourless, and appeared to be only 

 lime-water, with a very small quantity of 

 soap in solution : the matter remaining 

 on the filter, being well washed, was beat- 

 en up with water, but shewed no tenden- 

 cy to unite with it, subsiding after a time 

 in the form of a white mass ; this, by dry- 

 ing for a few days in the open air, became 

 grey, and much reduced in volume : ' it 

 was then mixed with diluted muriatic 

 acid, which immediately decomposed it, 

 and a number of white clots rose to the 

 surface of the liquor. This last being 

 obtained clear by filtration, yielded crystals 

 of muriat of lime, and a slight trace of 

 phosphoric salt; the white clots being 

 washed and dried, and afterwards melted 

 in a water bath, cooled into a dry, com- 

 bustible, oily matter, brittle, waxy, crys- 

 tallizable, and perfectly insoluble in wa- 

 ter, to which the name of adipocire has 

 been appropriated. From this series of 

 experiments with lime, it appears that 

 the soapy matter is a true ammoniacal 

 soup, with a base of adipocire, to which 

 lime has a stronger affinity than ammo- 

 nia ; but which last composition is again 

 in its turn decomposed by all the acids, 

 leav : ng the adipocire in a state of purity. 

 Potash and soda produce effects perfectly 

 analogous to these of lime. To the fore- 

 going experiments of Fourcroy, a few 

 facts have snice been added by Dr. Gib- 

 fces. The receptacle at Oxford for those 



bodies which have been used by the ana- 

 tomical professor there for his demonstra- 

 tions, is a hole dug in the ground to the 

 depth of thirteen or fourteen feet, and a 

 little stream is turned through it, in or- 

 der to remove all offensive smell : the 

 flesh contained in this was found, on ex- 

 amination, to be quite white, and for the 

 most part changed into the soapy matter 

 above mentioned. From this hint, pieces 

 of lean beef were inclosed in a perforated 

 box, and placed in running water, and at 

 the end of a month were found converted 

 into a mass of fatty matter ; this change 

 was observed to take place much sooner, 

 and more completely, in running than in 

 stagnant water: in order to get rid of the 

 foetid smell, nitrous acid was had recourse 

 to, which immediately had the desired 

 effect ; a waxy smell was perceived, and 

 by melting the matter it was obtained 

 nearly pure ; the yellow colour, which 

 had been given to it by the nitrous acid, 

 was wholly discharged by the oxymuriatic 

 acid. A similar conversion of muscular 

 fibre takes place by maceration in very 

 diluted nitrous acid. Dr. Gibbes has not 

 mentioned whether the fatty matter pro- 

 duced by running water is pure adipocire, 

 or ammoniacal soap ; it appears proba- 

 ble, however, that it is in the former 

 state; where nitrous acid is the men- 

 struum employed, it is obviously impossi- 

 ble that the ad'ipocire should be combined 

 with an alkali. 



ADIT of a Jlfine, the hole or aperture 

 whereby it is entered and dug, and by 

 which the water and ores are carried 

 away; it is distinguished from the air- 

 shaft. The adit is usually made on the 

 side of a hill, towards the bottom, about 

 four or six feet high, and eight wide, in 

 form of an arch ; sometimes cut into the 

 rock, and sometimes supported with tim- 

 ber, so conducted, as that the sole oi 

 bottom of the adit may answer to the bot- 

 tom of the shaft, only somewhat lower, 

 that the water may have a sufficient cur- 

 rent to pass away without the use of the 

 pump. 



ADJUTAGE, or AJUTAGE, in hydrau- 

 lics, the tube fitted to the mouth of a pipe 

 through which a fountain plays. See 

 HYDRAULICS. 



ADJUTANT, in the military art, an 

 officer whose business is to assist the 

 major, and therefore sometimes called the 

 aid- major. 



ADJUTANT -general, an officer of dis- 

 tinction, who assists the general in his la- 

 borious duty: he forms the several 4e- 



