V 1 r 



foda. It is alfo confumed in large quantities by the makers 

 of tin-plate, by brafs-founders, button-makers, japanners 

 and gilders ; to all of whom this acid is become abfolutely 

 iieceflary for the removal of the oxyd which forms on the 

 furface of the iron or the copper on which they work, and 

 which, if not removed, would prevent or impede all their 

 operations. 



Sulphuric acid is likewife a neceffary article to lome 

 paper-makers, to fell-mongers, and to tanners ;— it is ufed 

 in confiderable quantities by the modern hatter in the oper- 

 ation of felting ; — and it may be remarked that refiners ufe 

 it in the procefs of flripping metals; — oil-merchants, in re- 

 lining rape-oil, which it effeAs by carbonizing the farina- 

 ceous matter and the mucilage ; — and brewers in fining 

 what is called " gray beer :" — that the profeffors of phar- 

 macy as well as the chemifts are conftant cutlomers for ful- 

 phui-ic acid ;— that it is employed in making the aftringent 

 and ftomatic water of Rabel, and for other purpofes of 

 medicine, as well as furgery ; — that dillillers and reftifiers 

 of ardent fpirits confume it in dill larger quantities ; — that 

 the makers of vinegar ufe it for the adulteration of that 

 acid ; that many tons are annually confumed in the pre- 

 paration of liquid blacking ; — and that the aeronaut, at every 

 ^fcenfion into the atmofphere, requires many hundred 

 weights of fulphuric acid for the formation of the hydrogen 

 "as, which renders the aerial machine buoyant in that fubtile 

 medium. 



As tlie ufes of fulphuric acid are become fo various, 

 cafes may occur of its being taken into the ftomach by 

 miftake, and without immediate relief its corrofive proper- 

 ties would produce fatal effefts. If magnefia fhould be at 

 hand, that earth mixed with water and fweetened with 

 fugar, would be the belt poflible antidote to the polfon ; 

 but in cafe this could not be immediately procured, fo.ip- 

 water, which can be furniflied by all families, and which 

 is one of the next belt remedies, fliould be drunk plenti- 

 fully. Parkes, ubi fupra. 



For an account of the procefs of manufafturing this acid, 

 and its properties, fee the article Sulphuric ylc'ul. For 

 tables, exhibiting the temperatures produced by the mixture 

 of fulphuric acid and water, the fpecific gravities of the 

 acid, when diluted with different portions of water, taken at 

 the temperature of 6o° ; and of the variations in the fpe- 

 cific gravity of concentrated fulphuric acid, by change of 

 temperature, the barometer being at 29.5 inches, we refer 

 to Parkes's Effays, vol. ii. 



Vitriolic y/tij, in Agriculture, is that which is now 

 termed or known by the name of the fulphuric. It is 

 noticed by tht writer of the work on the Conneftion of 

 Agriculture with Chemiftry, that all acids are at prefent 

 named from tlie peculiar bafes or fubHances of which they 

 are formed, by the combination of pure air or oxygen ; the 

 prefence of which is neceifary in all cafes to conftitute an 

 acid. This is dated to be the moft powerful of all the 

 acids, and that it difengages or expels other acids, when 

 in a date of combination with metallic, earthy, or alka- 

 line fubftances in the foil or otherwife. When concen- 

 trated, it afts in a fimilar manner to that of alkaline falts, 

 in the refolution or dedruftion of vegetable fubftances, 

 as well as thofe of the animal kind, difengaging from 

 them certain gafes, and forming therewith certain fapo- 

 naceous and Taline compounds. Tsefe folutions or ex- 

 trafts are of a reddiih-brown colour, fimilar to that pro- 

 duced by the afiion of alkaline falts on oxygenated peat 

 or peaty earth. The vitriolic acid may, it is faid, be 

 ufed beneficially to decompofe and bring into aftion the 

 loluble matter accumulated in foils, by the combination 



V I T 



of the phofphoric and forcline or oxalic acids with cal- 

 careous matter. In this cafe, the vitriolic acid will join 

 with the calcareous matter, and form gypfum or fulphate 

 of lime ; while the phofphoric and forcline or oxalic acids, 

 in confequence of their difengagement, will combine with 

 other matters in the foil, particularly with magnefia, if any 

 be prefent, forming faline matters which are very foluble, 

 and conducive to vegetation and the growth of plants. 

 The bufinefs is to be accomphlhed by the ufe of fuch fub- 

 ftances as contain much of this fort of acid in cafes where 

 the other forts of acids prevail. 



It is fuggefted, however, that the endlefs feries of pro- 

 cefles employed by nature dcth not finifti or end here ; for, 

 on a fuppofition that the phofphoric and forcline or oxalic 

 acids had been fully difengaged from the calcareous matter 

 with which they had been formerly united, and that in the 

 ftates of phofphate and oxalate of potafh, foda, ammonia, 

 or magnefia, they had expended themfelves in the procefs 

 of vegetation ; ftill the gypfum or fulphate of lime remain- 

 ing in the foil would, on a renewed application of dung, 

 urine, animal or vegetable matter, be brought from the ttate 

 of gypfum or fulphate of lime, which is infoluble, to a ftate 

 approaching to that of a hepar of lime, which is foluble ; 

 and that as the vitriolic acid and calcareous matter are con- 

 tained in, and form a part of, the compounded refiduum 

 of vegetable matters, it may hence be inferred, that thefe 

 matters were not generated in, but were taken up, when in a 

 ftate of folution, by the roots of plants. Thus, it is faid, 

 may the good effefts of gypfum or fulphate of lime in 

 America be accounted for without much difficulty. And 

 to thefe beneficial effefts, from the combination of inftam- 

 mable fubftaHces with gypfum or fulphate of lime, forming 

 what is called a hcpii-, or liver of fulphur, may be added 

 the large fliare of nourilhment which trefoils, and plants of 

 a certain formation of Item and leaf fomevvhat of that kind, 

 receive by the hepatic air difengaged from the hepars, when 

 they, by the procefs of oxygenation, are again returned to 

 the ftate of neutral falts, of which fuch hepars had been 

 formed by the combination of inflammable or carbon?.ceous 

 matter. See Oxygenation and Sulphate of Lime. 



Vitriolic Minerals are compound foffile fubftances, 

 formed of various ftony and earthy particles, mixed with 

 others of iron and copper, and that either feparately or con- 

 junftly ; fo that, in effeft, they are ores of vitriols. 



The different kinds of thefe minerals are, I. The chal- 

 citis. 2. The mify. 3. Sory or rufma. 4. Melanteria. 

 5. Pyrites, or fire-ftone. 6. Marcafites: See Chalcitis, 

 MiSY, &c. 



In Europe, the only ufe made of chalcitis is as an ingre- 

 dient of Venice treacle, and even here its place is generally 

 fupplied with common green vitriol calcined to a rednefs. 

 The ancient Greeks ufed it externally in hjemorrhages, and 

 collyriums for the eyes ; alfo for the herpes aijd eryfipelas ; 

 but never ventured to give it internally. 



The ancients ufed mify for the fame purpofe as chalcitis, 

 being eileemed milder than this laft. 



At prefent it is no where put to any ufe, nor indeed does 

 it merit it, as containing no other virtues than thofe of green 

 vitriol, though we are not fure what pemieious fubftance 

 it may be mixed with. 



Vitriolic Waters. The countries which abound with 

 mines of copper and iron ufually afford a great many vitriohc 

 waters. See Blue Vitriol, under Vitriol. 



One of the moft remarkable fprings of this kind, of 

 which we have an account, is that near Paderborn, in Ger- 

 many : this is a fort of treble fpring, having three openings, 

 and all three yielding very different waters. Two of thefe 



openings 



