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sulphuric acid and alcohol , &c. 
of wine which I have examined, I have found a variable 
quantity of hydrocarbon held in solution, part of which spon- 
taneously separates in a crystalline form when it has been 
kept for some time, or when exposed to cold, but the whole 
of which I have not yet devised any means of separating ; 
this dissolved hydro-carbon, however, as future experiments 
will show, appears to be composed of single proportionals of 
its elements, we must therefore have recourse to other ex- 
periments to determine the actual weight of hydrocarbon in 
its neutral or atomic compound with sulphuric acid. 
Having thus far made out the composition of oil of wine, 
I examined more carefully what had taken place during its 
action upon heated solutions of muriate of baryta and potash ; 
in which case, as I have already observed, an acid had been 
formed not capable of precipitating baryta. 
200 grains of oil of wine were placed in a flask with 5 or 
6 ounces of water, and the flask set in a vessel of boiling 
water for an hour ; precipitated carbonate of baryta was then 
added, and immediately dissolved with effervescence ; about 
90 grains of carbonate were required to neutralize the acid 
formed : the solution filtered and set to evaporate soon be- 
came acid, and sulphate of baryta precipitated. 200 grains 
more of oil of wine were treated in the same way, but in- 
stead of evaporating the baryta solution, it was precipitated 
by carbonate of potash ; the potash solution evaporated at a 
temperature of 150° until it crystallized, remained perfectly 
neutral ; the crystals were thin plates, not unlike chlorate of 
potash, greasy to the touch, very soluble in water and alcohol, 
burning when heated with a flame like that of ether, and 
leaving an acid sulphate of potash. A few grains of these 
