ACTION OF MURIATIC ACIB ON SUGAR. %\J 



Besides I did not observe the effects as he describes them, 

 till heating the mixture, when it grew black, and carbon be- 

 came deposited. 



On account of th6 slowness of the process I substituted The liquid acid 

 the weak liquid muriatic acid of the specific gravity of s " ll8 *' t " tt , a in ~ 

 1*050 or i'080 instead of the gas, having first satisfied my- gas. 

 self by experiments of the analogy of the results*. In some Oxirruuiatic 



former experiments on the action of the oximuriatic gas on ac ,' d assisted by 



t l . ° caloric has 



siigar assisted by heat, I had obtained the same results, considerable 



and drawn the same conclusions, as Mr. Chenevix, though actl0n on 



; . sugar: 



his results and conclusions were at that time unknown to 



me, it being only lately that I saw tliem in the last edition 



of Dr. Thomson's System of Chemistry. Mr. Chenevix it forms the 



thinks, that the oxigen of the oximuriatic acid goes to the roalic acid. 



formation of the malic acid, which is produced during the 



action; but as the experiments detailed in this paper will 



prove, that the muriatic acid acts with facility on sugar, 



we can scarcely doubt, that, after all the oxigen has been 



given to the elements of sugar from the oximuriatic acid, 



the muriatic acid acts on the remaining sugar, being 



thereby partially decomposed. 



Vauquelin does not mention the formation of the malic acid Mr.Vauquelin 

 i * a u ..1 • ';■ i overlooked 



when sugar is acted upon by the oximuriatic gas, but says, t j, s ma]ic acid 



" that the solution possessed the properties of caramel or when he ex- 

 partially burnt sugar." I have often been at a loss what a ™}o„ fthe 

 substance to ascribe this French name to, whether to a new oximuriatic 

 product formed during the decomposition of sugar by heat, C1 ° n sugar * 

 Or to the fumes of the pyromucous or acetic acid, which 

 are given off plentifully. But, if by caramel is meant par- 

 tially burnt sugar, we may altogether discard this name 

 from our chemical systems, and substitute the old name 

 molasses instead of itf. Under certain circumstances that 



• My reason for substituting the weak acid instead of the strong 

 was, that, as the strong acid occupies considerably less bulk, no large 

 quantity of sugar would be dissolved 5 for, when the sugar is added 

 in large quantity, the acid becomes diffused througb its pores by 

 capillary attraction. There can be no doubt however, that the action 

 of both is perfectly analogous. 



+ " Caramel. Saccharum percoctum. Drogue que les apoticaires 

 preparent pour le rhume, qui consiste particulierement en du sucr« 

 fort cuit." Encyc. Franc,. Lat. et Ang. Lend. 1761. C. 



Vol. XXX1L— July 1812. Q this 



