ON THB COMPOSITION OF ALCOHOL. 26/ 



3. I found in the receiver, beside this small qnantity of Water with a 

 oil, ig6 gTS of colourless water, the specific gravity of whicli ^'"'^ ^'^^'^' 

 svas 0-998, indicating a mixture of igSj g-rs of water, and 

 2f grs of alcohol. These 2| grs therefore are to be deducted 

 froni the :2183 subjected to analysis. 



The water 1 have just mentioned had a smell both ofs"idlingof 

 benzoin and of vinegar: it reddened sirup of violets, and v^le^a" ^red- 

 infusion of litmus: it difTused ammoniacal vapours at the dcning blue 

 approach of muriatic acid: it was not precipitated by lime tin"^an"moniJ 

 water, or by nitrate of uiercury, but was rendered slightly cal vajjour*. 

 turbid by nitrate of silver. This circumstance, added to the 

 smell of benzoin, led me to suspect the presence of benzoic 

 acid. 



To find the quantities of the foreign principles contained Analysed, 

 in this water, I added it to a similar liquid obtained by the 

 same process in another trial, and divided the mixture into 

 three parts of 100 grs each. 



The first, evaporated to dryness in the temperature of the it left on ^a- 

 atmosphere, \ej't at the bottom of the vessel a transparent P'*"'»<-"" ^ 



. . . . slight re-i- 



varnish incapable of being weighed. duum, 



The second portion was mixed with crystallized carbo- witli carbonate 

 nate of potash, which dissolved in it with effervescence. The " i •"'''«" ener- 

 solution, evaporated to dryness, left a residuum, on which ed acciatc, 

 I poured alcohol. The decanted liquor left by evaporation 

 « white salt, which on exposure to the air speedily resolved 

 itself into a fluid, except an infinitely small quantity of a 

 salt in stellar crystals, resulting probably from a union of 

 the potash with the acid that precipitated the nitrate of sil- 

 ver. The saline substance that deliquesced was acetate of 

 potash. Its quantity in the dry state would have been for 

 the 196 grs of liquid I examined 0*9 of a grain, which in- 

 dicates 0-55 of a grain of glacial acetic acid in the whole 

 aqueous product of this analysis. 



Lastly, the third portion was mixed with muriatic acid, and with mtin- 



to saturate the ammonia. This mixture furnished by eva- ^"^, "' '^' f^'^'*^ 



acetate o£ am- 



poration crystals of muriate of ammonia, but the quantity moaia, 

 was too small to be weighed. 



From this examination the 193| grs of water obtained Its coateuts. 

 from the decomposition of the alcohol by a red hot tube 

 contained acetic acid in excess, aniraouia, and probably ben- 

 zoic 



