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XLV. Observations on the supposed Formation of inor- 

 ganic Elements during Fermentation. By Mr. J. Denham 



SiVIITH.* 



IN the October Number of last year's Phil. Mag., [present 

 series, vol. xv. p. 329] there appeared an abstract of va- 

 rious papers read at the meetings of the Royal Society, one of 

 which, entitled " Additional Experiments on the Formation 

 of Alkaline and Earthy Bodies by chemical action when car- 

 bonic acid is present, by Robert Rigg, Esq., F.R.S.", attracted 

 my particular notice, from the novel and most extraordinary 

 nature of the results announced in it. 



Although the Royal Society has always carefully disclaimed 

 any participation in, or support of, the theories and observa- 

 tions brought before or published by it, yet the circumstance 

 of a paper being read to the first learned society of these 

 kingdoms, and the author of that paper a Fellow of the So- 

 ciety, gives weight and sanction to the observations adduced. 

 This circumstance was one of the chief reasons which led 

 me to make the following experiments on the subject of this 

 novel formation of inorganic elements by catalytic action. 



I much regret that in the abstract of the paper which ap- 

 peared in this Magazine, no details of any of the experi- 

 ments are given ; the substances used, the apparatus, and 

 the results obtained, only being mentioned. It appears that 

 " the author gives a detailed account of several experiments 

 in which sugar, water, and yeast only were employed, and 

 from which he deduces the conclusion that alkaline and earthy 

 matters are formed by chemical action. In one set of experi- 

 ments, some of which were made in silver, others in china, 

 and others in glass apparatus, after the vinous fermentation 

 had gone on during five days, the quantity of ashes obtained 

 was, in the silver apparatus eighteen^ in the china nineteen^ and 

 in the glass fifteen times greater than the previous quantity^. 

 A further examination of these ashes showed that they con- 

 sisted of potash, soda, lime, and a residue not acted upon by 

 muriatic acid." 



Thus having no data of the respective quantities of sugar, 

 water, and yeast Mr. Rigg used, I may not have employed 

 these substances in the proportions with which he experi- 

 mented; if this should be the case, I presume, however, that 

 this circumstance will not in any way tend to vitiate the re- 

 sults I have obtained ; the question being whether inorganic 

 matter is produced during vinous fermentation. 



* Communicated by the Author. 



t These sentencco are not printed in italics in the original. 



