DISTILLED LIQUORS. 25 



A more recent modification of the method 7 as yet unpublished is dependent 

 upon the use of a standard oxidizing solution and the determination of its 

 loss in strength. 



Bedford and Jenks s have shown that while the method of separation of the 

 alcohols in the Allen-Ma rquardt method is adequate in the case of amyl alcohol 

 it fails to give satisfactory results with the intermediate alcohols. 



They found that saturated calcium chloride solution gave excellent results with 

 the two butyl alcohols and normal propyl alcohol, when substituted for sodium 

 chloride solution in the washing. Very good results were obtained with all the 

 higher alcohols which they tested, with the exception of isopropyl alcohol, a 

 part of which only was extracted. They further state that practically the most 

 serious disadvantage of the oxidation method is the length of time (three days) 

 required for a determination. 



In the Bedford and Jenks method, which can be carried out in a dsfy, the 

 separated higher alcohols are converted into nitrites which are then decomposed by ' 

 acid' in the presence of potassium iodide and the liberated iodine titrated. They 

 point out that their ester-iodine method gives the total higher alcohols ; while the 

 Allen-Marquardt method gives practically only the amyl alcohol, and since, as 

 they showed experimentally, the ratio of amyl alcohol to the total higher alcohols 

 differed in a marked degree in spirits subjected to different modes of distillation, it 

 followed that by the supplementary employment of both methods, considerable 

 light could, in many cases, be thrown on the nature of any sample under investiga- 

 tion. For example, a genuine pot still whisky could easily be distinguished from 

 a whisky made from rectified spirits. 



The interpretation of analytical results in the present work was based 

 almost entirely on the data given by C. A. Craxnpton and L. M. Tolman 

 in their paper on the changes taking place in whisky stored in wood. 10 



This admirable and thorough research has made it possible for the 

 analyst to pass judgment on the nature of American whiskies and sufficient 

 data were obtained with whisky stored in uncharred packages to warrant 

 the application of the same principles to Scotch whiskies. 



In the case of brandy less evidence was available, but from the analyses 

 made by Mann and Kerton 1X and from those of the best samples at 

 hand, it was possible to form some opinion of the composition of a genuine 

 brandy. 



One of the tests which, according to A. McGill 12 will serve to dif- 

 ferentiate in many cases, between a genuine pot-still distillate and one of 

 which the basis is rectified spirits, consists in the dilution of the distillate 



T This method is being experimented with in some of the laboratories of the 

 Bureau of Chemistry, U. S. Dept. Agr. 



*Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind. (1907), 26, 123. 



* They say "* * * although amyl alcohol by itself can be determined with 

 a high degree of accuracy, the intermediate alcohols (normal butyl, isobutyl, and 

 normal propyl) are also returned, but with notably low results, whilst, in addition, 

 isopropyl alcohol is theoretically undeterminable by the method, owing to its 

 oxidation to acetone instead of an acid." 



10 Journ. Am. Chem. Soc. (1908), 3 0, 98. 



^Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind. (1907), 26, 450. 



"Lab. of Int. Rev. Dept. Canada, Bui. No. 27. 



