A VINOUS SMELL. 301 



ethyl, amyl, or propylene, with acetic, propionic, 

 pelargonic, butyric, caproic, caprylic or capric acid. 



I will mention each of these shortly and separately. 



Acetic ether (acetate of oxide of. ethyl). This ether 

 appears in most, perhaps in all aromatic wines, and is 

 developed in them by time. The adulterators of wine 

 are well acquainted with this fact, and know how to 

 make use of it ; acetic ether is regularly sold for this 

 purpose, and added in proportionably small quantities 

 to wines which are not aromatic, by which means 

 their bouquet is very much improved. A very few 

 drops are sufficient for a bottle of wine. Acetic ether 

 may be prepared by distilling an acetic acid salt with 

 alcohol and sulphuric acid; it is a volatile pleasant 

 smelling liquid, a compound of C 4 H 3 3 +C 4 H 5 O. 

 This ether always exists in freshly distilled brandy, 

 and is found also in wine vinegar, which is thence so 

 fragrant. 



Butyric ether, C 8 IF O 3 + C 4 H 5 O. If another 

 acid be present, and butyric acid be mixed with alcohol, 

 it may easily be resolved into butyric ether (ether 

 butyricus). This is a thin volatile liquid, fragrant like 

 pine-apple, though, like other aromatic substances, its 

 fragrance is most evident when it is strongly diluted, 

 in this case with alcohol. This ether is very mucli 

 used by the English confectioners, who call it pine- 

 apple oil. 



Caprylic ether, C 16 H 15 3 +C 4 H 5 O; a colourless 

 fluid, with the fragrance of pine-apple. 



