C H E M I 
fmce Angelus Sala made an emetic preparation with thefe 
two fubftances. 
Zink, and alfo its oxyd, are readily diflolved by dif- 
tilled vinegar. Monnet obtained cryftals from this folu- 
tion in the form of flat plates. The acetit of zink ful¬ 
minates on hot coals with a bluifh flame. By diftillation. 
it affords- an inflammable liquor, a yellovvifh oily fluid, 
which foon becomes of a-deep green; and a white fiubli- 
mate, which, when let on fire by a candle, burns with a 
beautiful blue flame; the refidue is in the ftate of a pyro¬ 
phorus, not very combuftible. 
The acid of vinegar does not diffolve mercury in its 
metallic ftate; but this combination may be made by di¬ 
viding the mercury into very fmall particles, as was done 
by Keyfer. Mercury, in the ftate of oxyd, readily unites 
with vinegar. The acid may be boiled either on the red 
oxyd of mercury, named precipitate per fe, on turbith mi¬ 
neral, or mercury precipitated from its nitric folution by 
potafli. The fluid becomes white, but recovers its tranf- 
parency when boiling hot; it is then to be filtered, and 
iilver-coloured cryftals fall down, in fcales refembling 
boracic acid. This acetit of mercury has been called 
mercurial joliated earth. It may be immediately prepared 
by pouring a nitric folution of mercury into a folution 
of acetit of potafh; the nitric acid unites with the fixed 
alkali of this laft fait, and forms nitre, which remains 
diflolved; while the oxyd of mercury, combining with 
the acid of the vinegar, is precipitated in the form of 
brilliant fcales. The mixture being their filtered, the 
mercurial acetit will remain on the filter. This fait is 
decompofed by the action of fire, and its refidue affords 
a kind of pyrophorus. It is quickly altered by combuf¬ 
tible vapours. 
Tin is not much altered by vinegar. This acid dif- 
folves only a fmall quantity of that metal, which folu¬ 
tion, by evaporation, afforded Monnet a yellowifh fub- 
ftance refembling gum, and of a fetid fmell. 
Acetous acid diffolves zircon in a divided humid ftate. 
This combination, which is very foluble in water, does not 
appear to be capable of cryftallization. This fait under¬ 
goes lefs change from the heat, than nitrat of zircon, 
probably, becaufe it adheres lefs ftrongly to the water of 
folution, and becaufe it is dried at a lower temperature. 
Like the other falts of this clafs, it poffeffes a very ftrong 
aftringent tafte. It is foluble in alcohol, but does not 
deliquefce in the air. 
The acid of vinegar adds more ftrongly on lead than 
on moll other metals, and diffolves it with the utmoft 
facility. When thin plates of this metaLare'expofed to 
the vapour of heated vinegar, they become covered with 
a white powder called ceriife , which is an oxyd of lead, 
containing a little vinegar. Cerufe ground with one- 
third part of chalk, forms the white lead ufed as a paint. 
In order to faturate vinegar with lead, the acid is poured 
on cerufe in a matrafs; the mixture is fet to digeft on a 
fand-bath, and after feveral hours is evaporated to a pel¬ 
licle; by cooling it affords white cryftals, forming either 
irregular needles, if the fluid has been too much concen¬ 
trated ; or flat parallelipipedons, terminated by two flant 
fedlions, when the evaporation has been well made. This 
acetit of lead is called fait or figar of Saturn, on account 
of its fweet tafte, which is at the fame time very ftyptic. 
A fait of the fame nature is made, by boiling equal parts 
of litharge and of vinegar, and evaporating it to the 
confiftence of fyrup. This- is the extract of Saturn of 
Goulard, which long before his time was known by the 
name of vinegar of Saturn. Acetit of lead is decompofed 
by heat; it affords an acid, ruddy, and very fetid, liquor, 
different from radical vinegar or pure acetit acid, of 
which we Ihall prefently treat. The refidue is a very 
good pyrophorus. This fait is decompofed by diftilled 
water, by lime, by alkalis, and by the mineral acids. 
The extract of Saturn, diluted with water, and mixed 
with a fmall quantity of brandy, forms the Yegeio-mims- 
ral water. 
Vol. IV. No. zoz. 
S\ T R Y. 353 
Vinegar quickly diffolves iron ; the effervefcence which 
takes place in this folution, ariles from the diiengage- 
ment of hydrogen gas afforded by the water, which teems 
to be decompoied. The liquor has a red or brown co¬ 
lour ; and by evaporation affords only a gelatinous mag¬ 
ma, together with fome long brown cryftals. The acetit 
of iron has a ftyptic and lweetift) tafte; is decompofed 
by fire, which drives off its acid; attratls the moilture 
of the air, and is decompofed in diftilled water. When 
heated till it no longer emits a ftnell of vinegar, it leaves 
a yellowifh oxyd attracted by the load-ftone. The ace¬ 
tous folution of iron affords a very black ink with nut- 
galls, and may be fuccefsfully ufed in dying. The alka¬ 
line Pru(fiats precipitate a very bright Pruffian blue. 
The black, yellow, and brown, oxyds of iron, the native 
carbonat of iron, or the fparry iron ore, afford folutions 
with vinegar of a very fine red colour. 
Acetous acid diffolves copper with very great facility, 
and by the affiftance of heat it gradually affumes a green 
colour. But this acid a£ts. more readily on this metal 
when already oxydated by vinegar, and converted into 
the fubftance called verdigris. Verdigris is prepared, ac¬ 
cording to the improved method of Chaptal, ( Ann.de 
Chem. tom. 25.) as follows; Put the expreffed hulks of 
grapes in tubs to ferment, giving them as much air as 
poffible, by moving them about with the hands; when 
the heat of fermentation begins to flacken, put them in 
layers, between plates of copper, in earthen veffels pre¬ 
pared for the purpofe. At the end of ten, twelve, or 
fourteen, days, thefe plates will be covered with fmall 
filky cryftals; they are then piled together on flicks in a 
loft. They are left to themfelves for three or four days, 
then dipped in water, and replaced. This immerfion 
and drying is to be repeated once a-week for fix or eight • 
weeks: then the verdigris is fcraped off from both tides 
of the copper with a wooden fpatula. 
Verdigris readily diffolves in acetous acid or vinegar; 
the folution is of a beautiful green colour, affording 
cryftals, called verdet, or cryjlals of Venus, properly acetit 
of copper. Chaptal directs to diffolve the verdigris in 
acetous acid, to evaporate the folution to a pellicle, and 
then let it cool to obtain the cryftals. The fame chemifl 
endeavoured to Amplify the operation, by oxydating the 
copper in the cheapeft manner, and prefenting it in that 
ftate to the acetous acid; he particularly ufed the oxy¬ 
genated muriatic acid. At length he propofed a method, 
at once fimple, ingenious, and cheap, which confifts in 
mixing a folution of fulphat of copper with a folution of 
acetit of lead : there is immediately an exchange of bafe; 
and the acetit of copper, which floats over the precipitated 
fulphat of lead, requires only to be concentrated by eva¬ 
poration to furnifh the cryftals of verdet.- 
The verdet or acetit of copper has a ftrong tafte, and is 
a violent poifon. It is decompofed by the afilion of fire, 
efflorefces in the air, and becomes covered with a powder, 
whofe green colour is much paler than that of the fait 
itfelf. It is completely diflolved in water without decom- 
pofition. Lime-water and alkalis precipitate the oxyd of 
copper. When this fait is pulverized and diftilled in an 
earthen or glafs retort, a fluid is obtained at firft pale and 
fcarcely acid; but affords afterwards one fo ftrong, as to 
refemble the concentrated mineral acids. The receiver 
muff be changed during the operation, in order that the 
phlegm and the acid may be had feparate ; the latter i,s 
called radical vinegar, or acetic acid. It has a green co¬ 
lour, arifing from a certain quantity of the oxyd of cop¬ 
per which comes over. When the diftillation ceafes, and 
the bottom of the retort is red hot, the refidue is a brown 
copper-coloured powder, blackened by carbon; 
Peres has another procefs for obtaining this acid. Take 
a bit of verdigris, and fprinkle it with good vinegar till 
all the oxyd of copper is diflolved ; then reduce it to pow¬ 
der, and put it into a retort with twice the quantity of 
concentrated fulphuric acid ; diftil with a gentle heat, 
and vapours of acetic acid will prefently a rife, which mutt. 
4 X be 
