ETHER. 
from making waste during the suit ; the 
other lies after possession is adjudged, but 
not delivered, and to prevent like waste 
which is expected. The court of Chancery 
now grants an injunction, on filing a bill 
and before answer, to prevent waste, and 
these writs are disused. 
ETHER. The action of the more power- 
ful acids on alcohol, gives rise to an order 
of compounds of some importance from 
their peculiar properties. These, as pro- 
duced by the different acids, vary somewhat 
in their qualities : they also agree, however, 
in the possession of certain general prd- 
perties; they are highly volatile, odorous, 
pungent, and inflammable, miscible with 
water, and capable of combining with alco- 
hol, in every proportion. These compounds 
are named ethers; the specific name of 
each being derived from the acid, from the 
action of which on alcohol it has originated, 
as the sulphuric, nitric, muriatic, or acetic 
ether. 
Sulphuric ether, has been longest known. 
The following is the process by which it is 
prepared. 
Upon a quautity of alcohol in a retort, 
(selected thin at the bottom, so as to be 
capable of bearing a sudden heat,) is pour- 
ed an. equal weight of sulphuric acid, then 
mixed with the alcohol above by frequent 
and moderate agitation. From this mix- 
ture the alcohol acquires a brownish colour ; 
vapours haying a fragrant odour are disen- 
gaged ; and the temperature rises to about 
180 of Farenheit. When the mixture of 
the acid and alcohol is complete, the retort 
is to be immediately placed in a sand bath, 
and connected witli two large receivers, 
which are kept cool, by water or ice. Heat 
is to be immediately applied to the retort. 
The liquor boils when the temperature is 
raised to 208, the ether being formed at 
that temperature and distilling over: the 
condensation of it is to be promoted by 
> keeping the receivers cool with water, and 
the distillation is to be continued till about 
half the quantity of alcohol employed has 
distilled over, or until the neck of the re- 
tort becomes obscured with white fumes, 
which condense into a matter of apparently 
an oily consistence. 
The liquor which distils over into the 
receiver is the sulphuric ether. If, to the 
residual liquor in the retort, there be added 
half the quantity of alcohol employed in the 
first distillation, on applying heat, a new 
production of ether will take place ; and 
this may be repeated for several times. 
Towards the end of the distillation, a 
portion of sulphurous acid is formed and 
disengaged, with which the ether is so far 
impregnated, that its fragrance is injured, 
and its odour rendered pungent and acrid. 
A portion of water likewise distils over, 
by which it is diluted. The liquor in the 
retort, at the end of the distillation, is also 
found diluted with a portion of the water ; 
it is however, thick, and of a black colour, 
from a quantity of carbonaceous matter sus- 
pended in it. 
From the water and sulphurous acid the 
ether is freed, by subjecting it to a second 
distillation with a very gentle heat applied 
by a water-bath, pure potash being pre- 
viously added to it, in the proportion of 
two drachms to each pound ; this attracts 
the sulphurous acid, and renders even the 
water rather less volatile. Another method 
of rectification, proposed by Pelletier, 
(“ Memoires de Chimie,” tom. i. p. 316.) 
and revived by Dize, (“ Nicholson’s Jour- 
nal,” 4to, vol. iii. p. 43,) which Mr. Murray, 
from whose “ System” the present article is 
extracted, found to succeed extremely well, 
is to distil the ether of the first distillation 
from a little black oxide of manganese, the 
oxygen of which combines with the sulphur- 
ous acid, converting it into sulphuric ; and 
this, with the water, remains in the retort. 
Even after either of these processes, the 
ether may still contain a portion of alcohol, 
which usually passes over in the first stage 
of the distillation, This is best abstracted 
by agitation with water, which imbibes the 
alcohol, and a little of the ether : the greater 
part of the ether floats above, may be 
drawn off, and by distilling it with a very 
gentle heat, is obtained extremely pure. 
A degree of obscurity still prevails with 
regard to the theory of the formation of 
sulphuric ether; different views having been 
entertained of the agency of the acid on 
the alcohol. The explanation that was 
generally given, after the establishment of 
the theory of Lavoisier, was founded or, the 
supposition, that the acid acts principally 
by communicating oxygen. Alcohol con- 
sists of carbon and hydrogen, with a por- 
tion of oxygen : when mixed with sulphuric 
•acid, and exposed to heat, it was supposed 
that part of the acid suffered decomposi- 
tion, its oxygen being attracted by the 
hydrogen of the alcohol, and forming water ; 
the balance of attractions between the 
principles of the alcohol being thus broken, 
part of its carbon is precipitated, and is 
diffused through the liquor, rendering it 
