STATE AND QUANTITY OF SPIRIT IN FERMENTED LIQUORS. QQ 



quantity of spirit readily separated on the surface, when the 

 subcarbonate was added, and the gelatinous compound sunk 

 nearly to the bottom of the vessel, there being below it a 

 strong solution of the subcarbonate. 



When in these experiments Madeira and Sherry were em- Madeira and 

 ployed instead of Port wine, the results were nearly similar. Sherry. 



It was suggested tome by Dr. Wollaston, that, jf the Previous sepa- ' 

 wine were previously deprived of its acid, the subsequent i^-ionofihe 

 separation of the alcohol, by means of potash, might be Jess difference, 

 interfered with. I therefore added, to eight fluid ounces of 

 port wine, a sufficient quantity of carbonate of lime to sa- 

 turate the acid, and separated the insoluble compounds 

 produced by means of a filter. The addition of potash ren- 

 dered the filtered liquor turbid, some soluble salt of lime, 

 probably the malate, having passed through the paper; but 

 the separation of alcohol was as indistinct, as ip the experir 

 ments just related. 



It is commonly stated, that the addition of lime water to Lime water. 



wine not only forms insoluble compounds with the acids, . "° l sep ** 

 J t r * rate the acids 



but also with the colouring matter, and that these ingredi- and colouring 

 ents may be thus separated without heat; but on repeating matter P e " ec t- 

 these experiments, they did not succeed, nor could I devise 

 any mode of perfectly separating the acids, and the extract- 

 ive and colouring matter (excepting by distillation), which 

 did not interfere with the alcohol. 



If the spirit afforded by the distillation of wine were a Whether diff- 



product, and not an educt, 1 conceived, that by performing erenceo ^ te . m * 



i i- mi • in* i-m & perature in dis- 



the distillation at ditterent temperatures, different propor- tillation affects 



tions pf spirit should be obtained. the spirit. 



The following are the experiments made to ascertain this 

 point. 



Four ounces of dried muriate of Jime were dissolved in Port distilled 

 eight fluid ounces of the port wine employed in the former at 200 ' 

 experiments: by this addition, the boiling point of the wine, 

 which was 190° Fahrenheit, was raised to 200*. The solu- 

 tion was put into a retort placed in a sand heat, and was 

 kept boiling until four fluid ounces had passed over into 

 the receiver, the specific gravity of which was 0*963 16 at 

 60° Fahrenheit.* The 



* It was supposed that in this experiment a small portion of muriate 



of 



