ACEtlC ACIDi 4^* 



The laft larger, which occupied the bottom, of a blaick The loweft 



colour, and fliinine, was a mixture of fuiphate of lead and of 'fy^'" of '^e re- 



° * fidue IS a mix- 



Charccal. tureof fulphate 



The fame experiment with the fame quantities of the falts, of lead and char- 

 was repeated a fecond time, with the precaution of reducing -pj^J f.^^^ 

 the fulpliale of copper by dificcalion to -fi of its weight, Thecefs again re- 

 produ6t from this was preferable to the other. thrfulphate'of 



The fecond and third produ(fts were mixed and refiified on copper, the 

 carbonate of potafh and oxide of manganefe, with the pre- P''P<^"« is bet- 

 cautions indicated by M. Debuc : This rectification produced Second and third 

 an acetic acid of nearly the fame fpecific gravity as that afforded ^rodudts reiti- 

 by fimpie difiiliation from cryftals of copper, but of a lefs ^^ ^g^j^g^. ^^^^ 



Itrong odour, lefs agreeable, and beftdes mingled with fulphu- lefs agreeable 



. J acetic acid pro* 



fOUSaCld. ^ duced, mingled 



The reporters think that M. Debuc is deceived in his the- with fuiphurooj 

 ory, ** that acetic acid is vinegar fuper'Oxigenated by the oxigcn^^^ ' 

 of the Julphuric acid pojing to the vegetable acid," for he has 

 not confidered, 



1. Ttiat the acetic acid is almoft all obtained, before thCReafonswhy M, 

 fulphurous acid becomes perceptible. Debuc's theory 



2. That tlie metallic oxides, winch are the bafis of the 

 falts employed, have lefs altradion than fulphur to oxigen. 



3. That the difengagement of the carbonic acid is much more 

 likely to explain the matter. 



The confiderable produdion of carbonic acid, and the pre_T},g_yQ^,j£^jgjj^' 

 fence of charcoal in the refidue, furprifed the reporters the of carbonic acid 

 more ; as MM. Boddolier and Darac (the firft in his notice of the f^om'^thrro- 

 preparation of acetic acid ; the other in a memoir, in other cefs, is contrary 

 refpeds very interefting, on the difference of acetous and acelic^^ lA?^^","'!* 



r J r^' ^ of MM. Bodoi- 



acids,) poiiiively aflert that \n the operation relatedj'^/ierclier and Darac. 

 was no other gafcous proda^ion but that of part of the air con- 

 tained in (he vnjjeU, cfpeaally no carbonic acid, and not an atom of 

 charcoal in the nfidiie. 



The refult found by the reporters fo different from that of 

 M. Darac, in an experiment on which he fupports his theory 

 of the identity of the acetous and acetic acids, was fo favour- 

 able to the theory of M. Chaptnl, that they would have been 

 induced to decide in favour of the opinion of (he latter, if the 

 following coirparative experiments had not confirmed thern 

 in a contrary notion, and appeared to them one of Ihofc, of 

 which M. Darac might moff avail himfelf. 



T» 



