54 MR. HATCHETt's EXPERIMENTS 



Analyfis of Shell Lac. 



Shell lac boiled A. 500 grains of this fubfiance were firft treated with 



in water gave boiling diftilled water, as above-mentioned, and yielded of 

 little exuacl. • , . > J 



extract only 2.50 grains. 



Refidue gave B. The 497.50 grains which remained, were then digefted 



ak U u C hoi ef,n t0 with different po rtions of co,d alcohol, until this ceafed to 



produce any effect; the refin which was thus feparated, 



amounted to 403.50 grains. 



C. As the fliell lac had not been reduced into powder, but 



only into fmall fragments, thefe were become white and 



elaftic, and, when dry, were brittle, and of a pale brown 



colour ; the whole then weighed 94 grains. 

 Muriatic acid D. Thefe 94 grains were digefted in diluted muriatic acid ; 



then took up and the aci(] be - afterwards faturated with folution of car. 

 gluten. a 



bonate of potafh, afforded a flocculent precipitate, (refembling 



that obtained from folutions of vegetable gluten,) which, when 

 dry, weighed 5 grains. 

 Acetic acid, by E. Alcohol a&ed but feebly on the refiduum ; it was there- 

 took '^efin'nd ^ ore P ut ' n *° a matra f s > vrith three ounces of acetic acid, and 

 waxj the latter was fuffered to digefi without heat during fix days, the vefTel 

 d*ownb r °a1lcohol • bein S at times gently fhaken; the acid thus affirmed a pale 

 'brown colour, and was very turbid. The whole was then 

 added to half a pint of alcohol, and was digefted in a 

 fand-bath ; by which a brownifh tincture was formed, and 

 at the fame time a quantity of a whitifh flocculent fqb- 

 fiance was depofiled, which, being collected, well wafhed 

 with alcohol on a filter, and dried, weighed 20 grains, 



This fubftance was white, light, and flaky, and, when 



rubbed by the nail, it became glofly, like wax ; it alfo eafily 



rnelted, was abforbed by heated paper, and, when placed 



on a coal or hot iron, emitted a fmoke, the odour of which 



very much refembled that of wax, or rather fpermaceti. 



and then the F. The folution formed by acetic acid and alcohol, being 



rchn by water. fijt ra i e( ^ was poured into diftilled water, which immediately 



became milky; and, being heated, the greater part of the refin 



which had been dilTblved afiumed a curdy form, and was partly 



feparated by a filter, and partly by diflilling off the liquor j 



this portion of refin amounted to 51 grains. 



Carbonate of G. The filtrated liquor, from which this refin had been, 



Jwn\ome k- fe P aralecl > was Orated with a folution, of carbonate of 



fi.i. potafh j 



