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frricll becomes acid and fuffocating, like that of brimftone ; take away the receiver, and put out the fire, for all that arifes after this period is only a gas of fulphur, and is of
no ufe. j-n-n
The greateft precaution muft be ufed in this whole diiti'Ia- tion, otherwife the liquors in the retort will run over into the receiver ; the fire muft ceafe, as foon as the athenal fpirits are gone over, for there remains behind an oleum vini, which is extra&ed out of the fpir'tt by the force of the acid, and will arife in the retort, and often runs over, or caufes explofions. On the fecond day, when the retort is cold, pour on the matter that remains in it half as much alcohol, or rectified fpirit, as at firft, that is two pounds by weight ; and then repeating the whole procefs of the diftillation, exactly as before, there will come over half as much as at firft of the atherial fpirit. On the third day after this proceed in the fame manner, and you will have fo much more. In this manner the operations are to be re- peated, till no more atberial fpirit can be raifed, and all turns to a carbo. Then fepaxate it, and alkalife it with fpirit of falarmoniac, made without fpirit of wine, till all effervefcence ceafes ; then diftil it once more in a balneum maria?, and it is fit for experiments.
There are more products to be got out of the procefs. j. A balfamic oil. 2. A terra-foliata tartar i, which is of a glit- tering hue, and is not fufible as the common one, prepared with vinegar and the fixed fait, is. This is very ufeful in medicine. And 3. a purple earth is to be extracted out of the caput mortuum. Phil. Tram". N°46i. p. 870. The properties of the aiheria 7 fpirit are, I. That it is fo extremely volatile, that it evaporates immediately, and does not appear to wet the finger which is dipped in it. 2. That it is fo extremely inflammable, that it will take fire at a very threat diftance from any flame. 3. That it is of a very pleafant and aromatic fmell. And 4, that it docs not mix with water.
We have feveral curious obfervations on this ather of Fro- benius by Mr. GrofTe, in the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences. This Gentleman had obferved, that in diftilling fpirit of wine from a folution of alum, there was produced a liquor of an agreeable aromatic fmell, not unlike that of the ather ; and on this principle lie conceived an opinion, that this ather was not to be fought in the common oils of plants, but in fome mixture of fpirit of wine with a vi- triolic acid*: and Mr. Geoffroy's papers affording fome hints alio to the fame purpofe, Mr. Du Hamel, in concert with Mr. Groffe, determined to attempt the difcovery with the utmoft pains on this bafis, and after many unfuccefsful trials, Mr. GrofTe found out three different methods of making it, of which he gives the following account. Take a pound of pure, uncoloured, and well -rectified oil of vitriol, and two pounds of well -rectified fpirit of wine. The oil of vitriol muft be firft put into a retort, and the fpirit of wine afterwards added by a little at a time. There arifes a very violent heat on the mixing thefe liquors, and the mouth of the retort is to be ftopt when they are mixed, and the veflel fet by for two or three days ; in which time the mixture afl'umes a reddifh colour. After this the retort is to be placed in a fand-heat, and the diftillation being made, there firft arifes a fmall quantity of very fweet Teemed fpirit of wine ; after this there arifes another liquor in white clouds; and after this, on continuing the diftillation, there comes over another, which is very fulphureous and volatile,
■ and very ftrongly affects the nofe, and would indeed fuffb- cate a perfon, if its vapours were received in large quanti- ties. After this there arifes an acid phlegm, and what re- mains in the retort is a black mafs.
It appeared very plainly by the fmell, that the ather was contained in thefe diftilled liquors, the manner of feparating it was the only difficulty ; and after feveral tedious experi- ments with fal armoniac, and other things, Mr. GrofTe happily thought of trying common water, as the moft fimple and eafy of all methods, to weaken both the fulphureous acid and the fpirit of wine, which he judged the only ob- ftacles to the tether from fhewing itfelf in its true form ; and this was founded on that remarkable property of the ather, of not mixing with water, though blending itfelf very readily with fpirit of wine. On pouring a large quantity of water on thefe diftilled liquors, the tether im- mediately feparated itfelf from the reft, and by reafon of its extreme lightnefs rofe all at once to the furfnee of the water. This did not, however, yield it perfectly pure ; but adding a little fait of tartar to this, the remainder of the acid ful- phureous fpirit was abforbed, and the at her obtained per- fectly pure and fine, as that made by Frobenius himfelf. As the tsther had been by this means feparated from the whole diftilled matter, it did not clearly appear which of the feveral different matters, that fucceeded one another in the
.. diftillation, contained it, the reft feemingonly a load to the procefs: with this thought Mr. GrofTe, to try by the fmell which was moft likely to contain it, in a fucceeding diftil- lation pricked the bladder, that luted the junctures of the retort and receiver, with a pin, and judging of the feveral liquors, as. they fucceeded one another, by their fmell, he
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determined that the firft was only a very highly-reclined fpirit of wine; the fecond, which came over in white clouds, fmelt very ftrongly, and perfectly like the tsther: this feemed indeed the whole matter of the at her, the reft ferving only to abforb it. The third liquor had a very pe- netrating and fuffocating fmell of fulphur. From thefe obfervations this gentleman attempted the mak- ing the aiher in this fecond manner. All being prepared as before, he diftilled off the fpirit of wine, or firft liquor, and as foon as the white vapours began to appear in the re- tort, he took oft' the fire, for there was no doubt but the remaining heat was fufficient for the diftillation of fo very- volatile a liquor as the aiher. This fucceeded accordingly, and the clouds all coming over, and the remaining fpirit^, or third liquor, remaining behind in the retort, the aiher was now found in the receiver, mixed only with a fmall quantity of fpirit of wine, or with a very fmall portion, at the utmoft, of the fucceeding fpirit. An addition of water feparates the tether from the fpirit, as in the former procefs, and if it be not fuffidently dry and clean when thus pro- cured, it may be diftilled over again with a gentle heat; and it is remarkable, that if it be diftilled this fecond time, without previoufly adding any water, it comes over firft into the receiver ; though the fpirit of wine comes firft in the common, or primary operation.
Thefe are very fimple and eafy ways of making this famous fpirit ; but though they ufually fucceed, yet they have fome- times failed, even in the hands of the inventor, and that though all the circumftances of the procefs have been the fame, the failure being owing to fome imperceptible diffe- rence, either in the oil of vitriol, or in the fpirit of wine ; though this, however, has fometimes made the procefs fail in the two former ways, Mr. Grofle adds a third, in which he obferves that it always fucceeded with him. By this method the ather is procured perfectly dry and pilre, without the mixture of water, or of the alkaline falls. For the reparation, or purification of it, the method is this : when the white vapours have appeared, the whole matter in the receiver is to be f oured inro a fmall retort, which be- ing placed over a lamp, the ather will immediately rife, and diftil into the recipient ; when half the liquor is come: over, or, at the utmoft, two thirds of it, the lamp is to be taken away, that the fpirit may not rife, and make a new mixture. Thus the pure ather is, without farther trouble, found in the receiver. Mem. Acad. Par. 1734.
CW-Spir.it. See the article CoAL-fpirit.
Fceticl Spirit, fpiriius fcetidus, a new medicine introduced into the practice of phyftc, and directed to be made of any fixed alkaline fait a pound and half, fal armoniac, a pound, afTa fcetida four ounces, and pioof-fpirit three quarts, diftilling off five pints with a gentle heat. Pembertori's Lond. Difp. p. 205.,
Foreign Spirits, a general name by which our dealers in thefe things call brandy, rum, and arrack.
It is hard to purchafe any of thefe genuine and pure^ un- lefs at the firft hand, and in large quantities. The dealers generally mix our own fpirits with them. When we had little other fpirit but that of malt made with us, this cheat was eafily difcovered, for a nice palate would diftinguifh the mixture of only a tenth part of this foul fpirit among the foreign clean ones ; but fince we have the melafles fpirit fo common, and rectified to fo great a -perfection, the deceit is not eafily found out, though a larger proportion Is ufed. All foreign fpirits are to be fufpected of this adulteration, which have not an uniform tafte, and grateful odour. But one of the beft ways of difcovering the mixture, is to burn away all that is inflammable in a fmall quantity by way of trial, and then examine the phlegm.
The great art of this fophiftication confifts in the purity, and well rectified ftate of the fpirit ; and when the diftiller can furnim himfelf with fuch a fpirit as will not be found out, though mixed in a large quantity with brandy or rum, he is very near the art of making brandy and rum himfelf. Shaw's EfTay on Diftillery.
Spirit of lavender-, a form of medicine, which has been ufed to be compounded of a vaft number of ingredients ; but the late London Difpenfatory has greatly fhortened the ca- talogue of them, by ordering this to he made only of la- vender flowers and rofemary tops, or the fimple fpirit of each ; and the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg, of each half an ounce, and red fanders three drachms to two quarts of the fpirit. The fimple fpirits are to be mixed in the proportion of three parts lavender, and one part rofemary, or elfe the ingredients proportioned in the fame manner. Pemberton's Lond. Difp. p, 248.
/&/tf/f -Spirit. See the article Malt -fpirit.
Spirit of melaffes. See Melasses-^ViV.
Glauber's Spirit of nitre ; fpiritus nitri Glauberi, in pharmacy* a form of medicine made thus : take of nitre three pounds, and of the ftrong fpirit of vitriol one pound ; let them be mixed with caution, and gradually, under a chimney ; and afterwards let them be diftilled, firft with a gentle heat, and then with a ftronger. Pembtrton'z Lond. Dilpenf. p. 191.
I Dulcified
