ACTION OF SALTS ON VOLATILE OILS, 14Q 



time rose to the surface. Shaken afterward with lime-wa- 

 ter, it gave signs of the presence of corrosive sublimate by 

 the yellow precipitate it formed. It dissolved completely in 

 spirit of wine: but on the addition of water it reappeared, 

 in part light, in part heav}^ I kept some of the solution of 

 this oil in alcohol a considerable time: and I observed, that 

 the sides of the phial acquired a white coating, which I 

 found to be mild muriate of mercury. The solution of cor- 

 rosive sublimate separated from the oil was not entirely de- 

 composed, it still manifesting the presence of this salt by 

 the yellow precipitate it formed with lime water. 



Exp. Q. Into a phial I put forty grains of corrosive sub- Crj'stalsofcor- 



limate crystallized from water, and poured on them an ounce '■°^^^" muriate 



p . . , .of mercury 



of volatile oil of rosemary. In the course of a few days it with oil of 



acquirjsd a deeper amber colour than it had before, and rosemary. 

 a white flocculent precipitate formed in it. I then edded 

 more corrosive sublimate, which changed the colour of the 

 oil to a very deep green ; the precipitate fi*om white became 

 green; the oil lost its fluidity; and it emitted an empyreu- 

 matic acid smell, with which that of rosemary was faintly 

 perceptible. I separated the oil from the precipitate, mixed 

 it with water, and heated the mixture till it boiled. The 

 oil did not change its colour, and still remained heavy. T 

 washed it several times with distilled water, which freed it 

 fi-om the mercurial salt it had dissolved; it again became 

 light enough to swim on the su rface of water ; it spotted 

 the glass in the manner of empyreumatic oils; and its solu- 

 tion in spirit of wine was greenish. The green precipitate 

 mentioned above had a strong smell of rosemary, and 

 burned with a vivid flame. On adding spirit of wine to it, 

 the resinous part was dissolved, and formed a green tinc- 

 ture, which turned white on the addition of water, in the 

 same manner as resinous tinctures.. That part of the preci- 

 pitate, which remained insoluble, was mild muriate of mer- 

 cury mixed with a little corrosive sublimate. 



■ Exp. 10. Corrosive sublimate in powder, shaken with oil Oilofturpen- 

 of turpentine rectified from water, had no effect on this oil, ^^ei^rmur^ate' 

 though I kept the mixture a long time. The solution of ot mercury, 

 this salt, on the contrary, after a certain time produced a and with its so- 

 change; causing it to assume the consistence of turpentine, 



while 



