178 ACIDS PllODUCED FROM GINGER. 



Attempttoob- Exp, 1. One ounce of Jamaica ginger root was digested 

 five days in six ounces of nitric acid, S. Grav. I '350, then 

 diluted with water, kept boiling for twelve hours, titL-vated 

 with carbonate of lead, the solution filtered, &c. , follow- 

 ing, throughout the whole process, as nearly as possible the 

 directions given by your correspondent, and ultimately a 

 salt (a) was obtained " similar in ;vppearance to short white 

 pieces of raw silk," mixed with a little powdery iTiatter of 

 a yellowish white colour. Here I must observe, that the 

 carbonate of lead which I employed was the white lead of 

 the shops, and contained a considerable portion of carbo- 

 nate of lime. 

 Salt obtained A little of the liquof obtained after the second filtration 

 outheaddition ^yj^g jjf.(.j(jpj^ta^Hy fjjjxed with diluted sulphuric acid, when 

 phuric acid, unexpectedly ciystals [b) were deposited nearly similar to 

 those obtained by evaporation, and nearly equal in quan- 

 tity ; although the liquor evaporated must, before evapora- 

 tion, have exceeded that mixed with the diluted sulphuric 

 acid, at least, four times. 

 Neither of The salt [a] and crystals (6), "when separated from the 



these an acid, supernatant liquor and washed, v/ere not acid. Having 

 failed in finding the acid in question without being able to 

 attribute my failure to any particular cause, I determined 

 to renew the search, altering the proportion of nitric acid 

 employed. 

 Second at- Exp. 2. One ounce and a half of ginger being treated 



tempt to Ob- ^j^j^ gj^ ounces of nitric acid in the same manner as in Exp. 

 1, of the liquor obtained after the second filtration four 

 ounces were evaporated, and eight grains and a half of a 

 salt (c) precisely similar in appearance to (a) were obtained. 

 To another four ounces of the same liquor sulphuric acid 

 was added, and after standing several hours a number of 

 crystals [d) were deposited ; which, after separating, wash- 

 ing, and drying at a temperature of about 200°, weighed 

 six grains and a half, and were similar in appearance to the 

 crystals (6) obtained in the first experiment. Neither the 

 crystals {d) nor the salt (c) possessed any acidity ; and 

 from my only obtaining salts destitute of acidity, I at- 

 tempted to obtain the same products without the employ- 

 ment of ginger. 



Exp. 3. 



