of a newly discovered vegetable acid. 24,7 
liquor which, after filtration, deposited permanent crystals in 
abundance : they required for solution no less than 28 parts 
of water at 6c * 
The malate of alumina was found by Scheele to be a salt 
very difficult of solution. I wished to discover the properties 
of the sorbate. I therefore boiled some very pure alumina 
that had been just prepared, and was therefore still soft, with 
sorbic acid : the boiling was continued for almost an hour, 
and after filtration, I discovered with no small surprise, that 
the alumina had not been acted upon. The acid was tried by 
every means, and nothing but the most minute vestiges of 
the earth could be obtained. Thus there is no sorbate of 
alumina. 
I consider that from this property the sorbic acid may be- 
come a valuable instrument of analysis. The process for sepa- 
rating alumina from other earths, has been complicated and 
uncertain : may it not be rendered simple by the use of this 
acid, employed in excess ? 
Thus, I think there can be no doubt, that the sorbic acid is 
an acid sui generis, and probably intermediate between malicand 
oxalic. With regard to the other acids, with which the sorbic 
coexists in fruits, it is to be observed, that it is never found in 
mature fruits that contain any other than the malic ; that the 
latter is never found alone in any mature fruit, but always ac- 
companied by the sorbic, and that these two acids, when toge- 
ther, exclude all others. To this, however, there is an appa- 
rent exception, namely, the berry of the Sambucus Nigra, 
which (probably from the immense quantity of mucilage and 
• It deserves remark, that inScHEELE’s experiments, there could have been no 
sorbic acid present, as might have been expected, had he prepared his acid from 
apples : he obtained it from gooseberries, and thereby avoided this source of fallacy. 
