£ CADET S FUMING LIQUOR, 



III. 



Exira£l of a Memoir on the fuming Liquor of Cadet. 

 By Cit. Thenakd.* 



Hiftoryofthe V^ADET difcovered this liquor near half a century ago, in 

 Cadet'Tfumine ma fc' n g investigation's on arlenic. The name of its author was 

 liquor, &c given to it then, which it has retained ever lince, becaufe its 

 intimate nature and conftituent principles were unknown. 

 The thick fmoke which this Angular product fpreads through 

 the air, its fpecific gravity, greater than that of water, its 

 oily flate, its great volatility, its powerful odour, its fponta- 

 neous inflammation in the air, obferved by Cadet and the 

 chemifts of Dijon ; in fine, all its properties, each more ex- 

 traordinary than the other, induced Cit. Thenard to fubject it 

 to analyfis. 

 Method of ob- He began by procuring feveral ounces of this liquor, by 



£!«'.?, B . !t " e difiilliner, according; to Cadet's procefs, equal parts of acetilc 



Diftillationof . h ? . . 



acetite of potafh ot potafh and arfenious acid, the produce of which he received 



and arfenious j n g| a f s gl 0De s, cooled with a mixture of ice and marine fait, 

 acid. . . 



A liquor, very little coloured, and fmelling firongjy of garlic, 



foon paffed into the receivers; at the fame time much gas was 

 difengaged, which fpread the fame odour, and the receivers 

 were filled with vapours, fo heavy that they feemed to run 

 like oil. When the operation was terminated, he unluted 

 Rcfidivc. the apparatus, and broke the retort. The bottom of it was 



covered with a white, acrid, and alkaline fubftance of pot- 

 afh, arifing from the acetite employed ; and the neck was 

 lined with cryftals of arfenic, owing to the reduction of the 

 arfenious acid. The gafes, the quantity of which was very 

 great, contained arfeniated hidrogen, in addition to the car- 

 bonated hidrogen and carbonic acid, given by all vegetable 

 The liquid pro- matters which are decompofed by fire. The liquid product 

 duel confifts of was compofed of two very diftinci firata, holding metallic ar- 

 id*. ' U " f en ' c m f°l ut »°r)> which was not long before it was depofited 

 in flakes ; the upper one was of a brownifh-yellow and aque- 

 ous, the lower one was lefs coloured, and of an oily appear- 

 ance. He feparated them, by pouring them into a tube drawn 

 to a point by the lamp, which allowed him to receive them 



* From Bulletin des Sciences, Tom. III. p. 202. 



