OXALIC ACID. 
It has been difcovered by Scheele, a this acid can be 
formed by the aéti i n fugar, and feveral 
formeriy ies 
of preparing it 
In order to a this acid with fugar and nitric acid, let one 
part af the former be put isto a glafs retort with three parts 
of the ree of the pa gravity 1.5, and a gentle heat ap- 
plied : ater tim a brifk effervefcence a caufed 
carbonic ac 
o be fo ontded prifms. ney are =) sccdingly fkarp 
and acrid to the tafte. baer diffolve in their own weight 
of boiling water, andin twice their weight of water, at 60°. 
The folution, _ fafficiently diluted, has an agreeably acid 
tafte. One of boiling alcohol diffolves -56 of oxalic 
id cha ieee vegetable blues to red, and one part gives 
a fenfible pal to .2633 of water. The cry ftallized acid, 
according to homfon, confifts of 77. real acid and 23 
water. The ks are not changed by expofure to the 
air. en expofed . ae it gives out difagreeable pun- 
gent fumes of a white ould appear that in this 
change the water of ogi llaation efcapes, carrying off a 
portion of the acid, for the refiduum is whiter than the ls 
tals, and the water is reabforbed from the atmofphere, givin 
it its original sas ales When expofed to diftillation ft firtt 
undergoes the chan ove-mentioned. A portion of the 
acid is fabled an ae altcration, The remainder is de- 
compofed, affording a dark colcured refiduum, carbonic 
acid, carburetted hydrogen, ey probably carbonic oxyd. 
oxydates moft o al as a platina, filver. 
a iget and feveral are are exceptio 
combines with the creates, pe ond metallic oxyds, 
n formed in the prefence of 
with frefh ftron ng a ae 
e fu Iphuri acid ar pune ie it when heat is 
applied, but the hong appears to be fimilar to that pro- 
duced by heat a 
The ‘maritis aa diffolves it without changing its 
propertie 
The contents of this acid, as well as the reft of the 
vegetable acids, have not as yet been determined with 
precifion, 
n analyfis, given by Fourcroy and Vauquelin, determines 
it as follows: 
Oxygen 77 
Carbon I 
Hydrogen 10 
b Lele) 
Vou. XXV 
A. more recent analy fis, by Dr. Thorafon, fkates it to 
confift of 
Oxygen 64 
arbon 32 
Hydrcegen 4 
100 
We have, however, a {till 
Luffac and Thenard, by a new isd 
The p 
This laft is wearer the treth. 
later a a by Gay 
of operating, with ie yper-oxymuriat of esti. 
portions determined by thefe laft chemitts are, 
Oxygen 
Carbon 
Hydrogen 
70.69 
26.59 
2.92 
1oo. 
In thefe experiments, upen analyfis, it will be more cer- 
this purpofe. 
defined. 
This, like all other chemical compounds, mutt be pee 
tuted by limited propcrtions of its elements, which a 
oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. It appears, from the pro- 
portion in which ic eabie oe the different faline bafes, 
to have the note, atom of any = bei eae acids. If 
inet rees with one a of ea a “We 
utual decompo- 
pa ugh in ue decompo- 
fition carbonic acid is evolved, it doe 
evolution is effential to 
therefore, be regarded as conttituted by an atom 
and an atom of oxygen; the firft being 
arbon, 
of 
oxygen from as ec will be §.4 + 2x 7+ 
the atom of oxa aud. From thefe data its preporaoas 
per cent. wil 
Oxygen 68.6 
Carbon 26.5 
Hydrogen 4.9 
100. 
This rile ay with ake. laft analyfis by the 
French chem 
rom the numbers which may be given to the sei 
and tartaric rere in » their faline combinations, the for 
being about 34, and the latter 45 y prefume ‘the 
citric acid to be formed by 2 atoms of fugar and 1 of o Y- 
gen, which will give (7 + : 
+7 = 
The tartaric acid pveate to confift of 3 atoms of ioe 
with 1 of oxygen, or (7 + 5.44 1) x 47.2 
The oxalic acid i is principally ufed as a chemical agent. 
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