TARTAR. 



cream of tartar the acid has a tcrrcftrial and alkaline bafis, 

 which is natunJ to it in that form ; bnt in the ilate of folu- 

 ble tartar it takes a new alkaline biifis, which is not natural 

 to it : and when we view the proccfs in this light, it does 

 not appear wonderful, that an acid of its own kind (hould 

 be able to take away from it this artificial alkaline bafis, 

 though it was not able to take from it the natural one. 

 Mem. Acad. Par. 1733. 



This fecond or artificial bafis is diflerent, according to 

 the different alkalies which have been employed to reudei 

 the tartar foluble, and confequently the fame acid may 

 attach itfelf more to one than to iuiotlier of thofe alkalies, or 

 quit them the more or lefs eafily. There is one kind of 

 foluble tartar, however, which is not to be regenerated at 

 all; this is that which is made with borax. 



Dr. Huxham fays, he has often experienced the good 

 effetts of regenerated tartar in the cure of obllnidlions of 

 the bowels, and for (luggilli humours. See Acclale of Potajlj 

 under Salts, and Terka Foliata. 



TAFiTAR, Salt of, is made of tartar waflied, ground, 

 purified, or cream of tartar, and calcined either per fc 

 or with nitre, by a reverberatory fire ; or it is made by 

 pulveriKing what remains in the retort after the diilillation 

 of tartar, and calcining it as above by a reverberatory fire. 

 On the one or the other of thefe preparations, they pour a 

 great quantity of hot water, to make a ley of it ; this they 

 filtrate, and evaporate the liquor by a fand-heat, till the 

 fixed lalt be found at the bottom of the veffel. This is the 

 pure alkali, or fixed fait of tartar. See Carbonate of 

 Potajh under Salts, and Salt of Tartar. 



Tartar, Soluble, (fee Tartrate of Potajh under 

 Salts, and Tartrite of Potajlj,) may be made by the 

 following procefs : Take of an alkaline fixed fait, a pound ; 

 of water, a gallon ; and having ditfolved the fait in this 

 water boiling, throw cryftals of tartar in powder as long as 

 any fermentation is raifed, which ufually ceafes before 

 thrice the weight of the alkali is thrown in. Then ftrain 

 the liquor through paper, and after due evaporation fet it 

 by for the fait to cryftallize, or elfe evaporate the liquor 

 whoUy away, that the fait may be left dry. 



This fait, by the aftion of the alkali on the acid of tartar, 

 being freed from thofe grofs terreftrious parts, with which 

 the cryttals of tartar, how pure foever, remain ftill charged, 

 diflolves readily, and keeps fufpended in cold water. 



The feveral alkaline falts, that of tartar itfelf, the common 

 pot-afhes, borax, &c. all make a very good foluble tartar ; 

 and not only thefe, but the common terreftrial alkalies, whe- 

 ther of the mineral kingdom, as chalk or lime ; or of the 

 vegetable, as the alhes of plants after ehxiviation ; or of the 

 animal, as oyfter-fhells calcined or not calcined, and hartf- 

 horn : all thefe give a better or worfe foluble tartar ; but of 

 thefe, none fucceeds fo well as the oyfter-fhell, after it has 

 been calcmed ; the foluble tartar, prepared with this, colls 

 alfo greatly lefs than when prepared with fait of tartar. 



In wood-afhes there is always a part, which when mixed 

 with water fwinis, and is fufpended in it a long time, and 

 at length fubfides into a kind of foft and impalpable matter ; 

 and another part, which fubfides readily to the bottom, and 

 feels rough and harfh. It is the firil of thefe fubftances 

 alone, which being mixed with cream of tartar, renders it 

 foluble : the other part will not mix with the cream of 

 tartar, or produce any fuch effeft, unlefs reduced to the 

 nature of the firft, by repeated and violent calcinations, and 

 then only a part becomes fo altered, the whole never is fo. 

 It appears that the firft portion has been wholly diverted of 

 its acid by the fire, and thence is become fufceptible of the 

 imprelfion of the weakeft acid, fuch as is that of the cream 



of tartar, but in the fecond, or coarfcr part, the acid it natu- 

 rally contained rem.iins fixed and concentrated, fo that it is 

 not fufceptible of any imprefiion from the weak acid of the 

 cream of tartar. Mem. Acad. Par. 1733. 



The different kinds of foluble tartar have alfo their dif- 

 ferent degrees of folubility, or different rcadinefs to run 

 \i\to a \\c\\\oT per deliquium. The mod eafily foluble of all 

 arc thole made with chalk, with lime, and with wood-afhes ; 

 and that which is moll difficultly fo, is the kind made with 

 borax ; it will at length run however, and is truly foluble 

 tartar. 



For the chemical and medical properties of this fait, fee 

 Tartrate of PotaJI' under Salt.s, and Tartrite of PotaJJ}. 



Tartar, Vitrlolatett, which iowK ci\\\ magljlery of tartar, 

 is a neutral fait, compoled of a vitriolic acid, faturated with 

 the fixed alkali of tartar, or with any other pure vegetable 

 fixed alkah. 



Vitriolated tartar may be decompofcd by nitrous acid in 

 the following manner, according to M. Baume. Equal 

 parts of both are put into a matrals, and heated till the fait 

 be diffolved. From the liquor when eolJ, true crvllals of 

 nitre may be obtained. And according to M. Margraaf, 

 vitriolated tartar may, in the fame ntethod of treatment, be 

 decompofed by marine acid. 



This fait is not of any ufe in the arts, and little ufed in 

 chemiilry. It is chiefly employed in medicine. Like the 

 other neutral falts, with bales of fixed alkali, ii is aperitive 

 in fmall dofes, as a grofs, or 59igi"s., and it is laxative, 

 when taken from 6 to 1 2 grofs. See Sulphate of Potajh under 

 Salts. 



The chemifts have fometimes boafled of great virtues, in 

 what they call the magiftery of this fait ; this is the earth 

 precipitated in the making of it. It is the opinion of fome 

 ingenious authors, that all fixed falts are produced by a 

 blending together of the acid and alkaHne falts, which the 

 plants they are obtained from originally contained, with 

 fome earth. The making of this preparation of tartar and 

 vitriol, gives great ftrength to this opniion by means of this 

 magillery ; which (hews, that an earth neceffary to the 

 cementing a mixture of an acid and an alkali into a neutral 

 fait, may exiil even in one of the principles themfelves, 

 though unfeen by us ; and that, as in the prelent inftance, 

 in fo large a quantity, as not only to be fufficient for the 

 combining the two volatile fubftances into a fixed one, but 

 even to leave a remainder of it, that was not neceffary. 



While the acid of vitriol is poured upon the diffolved fait 

 of tartar, or its oil per deliguium, for the making of this 

 fait, during the great effervefcence between the acid and 

 the alkali, there is a precipitation made of an earth, for the 

 feparation of all which great care is to be had to the degree 

 of faturation of the alkali with the acid. This earth after- 

 wards may be fevered by filtration. This earth is precipi- 

 tated, not out of the fpirit of vitriol, but out of the fait 

 of tartar ; and this experiment fhews, that this fixed fait 

 did originally contain that earth, which, according to the 

 fyftem of the formation of fixed falts out of volatile ones, 

 origin;dly refiding in plants, muft necelfarily be mixed with 

 them, and which, not being able to mix with the acid, is 

 feparated and thrown off in the conflidl, in which the acid 

 mixes itfelf with the reft. 



This earth is what is pompoufly called the magijlery 

 of -vitriolated tartar; but it is very wrong to give that name 

 to an earth which has none of the properties of that or any 

 other fait ; and they greatly deceive themfelves and their 

 patients, who prelcribe it inftead of the fait itfelf. Its 

 faline tafte, probably, has induced them to think that it 

 poffefled great virtues ; but tliis ib not innate but adventi- 



tious. 



