/ 
350 C H £ M 
the proportion of fulphuric acid. 3. That the operation 
is divided- into two periods, in one of which tweet oil of 
wine is not formed; as toon as this oil appears, fcarcely 
an)' more ether comes over, and at the fame time the ful¬ 
phuric acid is decompofed by the hydrogen only, whence 
refults fulpliureous acid. 4. The formation of the mild 
or fweet oil of wine may be avoided, by keeping the 
mixture in a temperature of between 75 and 78° by the 
fkilful addition of a few drops of water in the retort. 
5. Alcohol differs from ether in containing more carbon 
arid lets hydrogen and oxygen j and the fweet oil of wine 
is to ether nearly what ether is to alcohol. 
There are three periods in the formation of ether; the 
firft is that in which ether and water are formed with the 
afliftance of external heat. In the fecond, the dilengage- 
ment of the ether takes place without being accompanied 
by any fulphureous acid : and the third is that in which 
oil of wine, olifiant gas, acetous acid, fulphureous acid, 
and carbonic acid, are difengaged. The formation of 
water takes place during thefe three ftages from the be¬ 
ginning to the end of the procefs. 
It frequently happens that the ether thus procured, re¬ 
tains a little fulphureous acid ; reftification therefore be¬ 
comes neceflfary, to bring the preparation to its highelt 
degree of purity. Several means are employed : lome 
ufe potafh, others magnefia, &c. Dize has lately pro- 
pofed the oxyd of manganefe for this purpofe; he ob- 
ferves that his procefs produces about a fixth part more 
than the ufual mode with the retort and receivers. From 
the experience of performing this in the large way for 
three years, he recommends his method to the public. 
It confifts in neutralizing the fulphureous acid (con¬ 
tained in the unreftified ether) with powdered oxyd of 
manganefe. Then draw off the ether in a water-bath of 
tin; this is to be plunged into a cucurbit three parts 
full of water; fix on the head, and a proportional worm- 
tub fixed- in a kettle which is to be continually fupplied 
with frefh water from the lower part, fo that the water, 
which is heated above, is conftantly ejefted by the hole 
made in the upper part; thus, the water in the ,worm- 
tub is kept always at the fame degree of coolnefs. Then 
proceed to diftillation, raifmg the heat to 36°. 
Ether is much more inflammable than alcohol; it 
catches fire if a taper be brought in contadl with the 
veflel which contains it. It burns with a whiter, larger, 
and more luminous, flame; and, what conftitutes an ef- 
fential difference, it is accompanied by a fmall quantity 
of foot, leaving a black coally mark on any thing held 
over it. Its taite is hot and pungent; it is fo volatile, 
that, by pouring a known quantity from one wide-mouth¬ 
ed bottle into another, it will be found to have loft a fourth 
part. During its evaporation, it produces a great degree 
of cold, fo that ice may quickly be produced by its 
means: fill a phial with water, and, having wrapped it 
up in a fine rag, plunge it into ether; when the rag is 
foaked, take it out, and expofe it to the air; the evapo¬ 
ration may be promoted by fhaking the bottle; put it in 
again when the rag is dry ; in feven or eight minutes the 
water will be converted irito ice. 
Ether does not unite readily with water; even with 
agitation it requires ten parts of water to diffolve it: 
which fhews a ready way of proving whether that liquor 
has been changed by alcohol. Ether has no aftion upon 
earths and fixed alkalis ; it takes from them merely their 
uncombined and fuperabundant acid ; hence they are 
employed in rectifying ether. Caultic ammoniac unites 
with it in all proportions. Sulphuric acid caufes great 
heat in combining with ether, and by diftillation will 
convert a great part of it into the fweet oil cf wine. 
Fuming nitric acid excites a confiderable effervefcence, 
and the ether becomes deeper coloured. 
Ether has the property of taking up gold from its fo- 
lution : Pour ether over a folution, and mix them by 
fhaking the phial; as foon as the mixture is at reft, the 
ether feparates from the nitro-muviatic acid, which the 
I S T R Y. 
reader fhould recoiled is the ufual folvent for gold, and 
fwims above it ; then the acid, deprived of the gold, be¬ 
comes white, while the ether at the fame time takes- a 
yellow colour: and thus is quickly formed a tinfture of 
gold, or that famous, but ufelefs, preparation, aurum po- 
tabile, potable gold. For foon after the gold feparates 
from the ether, recovers its metallic brilliancy, and fome- 
times is found in cryftals on the furface. 
Ether-quickly diflolves the oxygenated muriat of mer¬ 
cury; it diflolves volatile oils and refins, in the fame 
manner as alcohol; and accordingly phyficians often ufe 
ethereal tinctures. 
Ether is confidered as a powerful tonic, and antifpaf- 
modic remedy. It is ufed in hyfteric diforders, and ipaf- 
modic cholics, and is of excellent fervice in cafes where 
digeftion is ill performed on account of weaknefs of-the 
ftomach. It muft be adminiftered, however, with pru¬ 
dence, becaufe its exceflive ufe is dangerous. It is like- 
wile fucpefsfully applied externally in headachs, burns, 
&c. Hoffman, who made many experiments with the 
fulphuric acid, and alcohol, ufed a medicine compofed 
of fweet oil of wine difiblved in alcohol, which he called 
his mineral anodyne liquor. The Faculty of Medicine 
at Paris have added ether to this liquor, and preferibe it 
to be prepared by mixing two ounces of the alcohol 
which pafles in diftillation before the ether, two ounces 
of ether, and twelve drops of fweet oil of wine. This 
medicine is employed for the fame purpofes as ether, 
but is far from having the fame efficacy. 
The nitric acid with alcohol furnifhes alfo an ethereal 
liquor. Several chemifts have propofed modes for pre¬ 
paring it, as, Navier, Woulf, La Planche, Bogues, Sea 
but the following, by Cha.ptal, is moft ufed : Take equal 
parts of alcohol and nitric acid at 30 or 35 0 ; put the 
mixture into a tubulated retort, and place it on a fand- 
bath ; adapt two receivers one to the other, the firft is 
to be plunged into an earthen pan with water, or a fhal- 
low trough; the fecond is to be kept covered with a wet 
cloth; and from the tubulation goes a fyphon which 
plunges into the water. When the heat begins to aft 
upon the,,piixture, much vapour is difengaged, which 
condenfes;on the fides of the vefiels, whofe exterior is to 
be cooled continually. About one-fourth of very pure 
nitric ether is obtained. 
Nitric ether, obtained-by this procefs, is a yellowifh 
fluid, as volatile and evaporable as fulphuric ether, whofe 
linell it refembles, though it is ftronger, and not fo agree¬ 
able ; its tafte likewife is hotter, and more pungent than 
that of fulphuric ether. Its flame is brighter, and the 
frnoke it emits, when burned, is denfer than that of the 
fulphuric ether; it leaves a larger coally refidue; and, 
laftly, like the fulphuric ether, it takes gold from its fo- 
lutions, and fuipends a certain quantity. Navier ob« 
ferves, that this tinfture of gold, laid on glafs or on a 
plate of metal, would evaporate, and leave the furface 
gilt. Phofphorus, which diflolves but flowly in fulphuric 
ether, diflolves better in nitric ether, to which it com¬ 
municates a flight phofphoric property. 
Deyeux,w'ho made oblervations on nitrous ether, thinks 
that this ether owes its volatility to the nitrous gas which 
continually inclines to exhale from it. To determine the 
prefence of this gas, he made the following experiment: 
Pour eight parts of water over one of nitric ether; put 
the mixture into a bottle furnifhed with a recurved tube 
plunging under a bell-glafs filled with water; after a 
certain time, bubbles will be difengaged, wdiich difplace 
the water under the jar. He then examined the produft 
of this operation; he firft wafhed the gas contained in 
the receiver feveral times, to feparate the aeriform fluids 
it might contain; this having produced no fenfible ef- 
feft, he then mixed a portion of this gas with atmof- 
pherical air; there was a confiderable ablorption, and at 
the fame time the upper part of the tube was filled with 
vapours; this was much more apparent, when with an¬ 
other portipn of this gas he mixed oxygen gas; the mo¬ 
ment 
