'78

Spirits-

PART II!.

at a heat of 300°, and still hot, a pound; caustic Kali, in pow-der, an ounce ,■ muriate of Lime, dried, half a piound. Mix thespirit and the kali; add the pearl-ashes, previously reduced topowder, and digest the mixture for three days in a closed vessel,frequently shaking it; then pour off the spirit; mix with it themuriate of lime; and, lastly, distil with a moderate heat, untilthe residue begins to thicken. The specific gravity of thisspirit is to that of distilled water, as '815 to TOOO.

" The muriate of Lime may be conveniently obtained fromthe residue of the distillation of water of Ammonia."

Syn. Alcohol (F-), Hi.chst rektifizirter Weingiest (G.), Alcoole (I.).

Rectified spirit, of the specific gravity of 835°, containsabout fifteen per cent, of water; and to free it from this is theintention of the above processes. The affinity of the alkaliand the muriate of lime for water is much greater than that ofthe spirit; it is therefore attracted by these substances, and pre-vented from rising with the spirit during the distillation, bywhich means the alcohol comes over in a very highly concen-trated state. The process of the Dublin college is to be pre-ferred, muriate of Lime being a much more powerful agent forseparating the water than subcarbonate of Potass. By its means,Dr. Black obtained alcohol of the specific gravity of 800°; andRichter procured it so low as 0.792, in the temperature of 68"Fahrenheit 1 , at which degree of concentration it may be re-garded almost as pure alcohol, or alcohol perfectly tree fromwater. The alcohol of the pharmacopoeias, therefore, is notfree from water, but it is sufficiently concentrated for all thepurposes of pharmacy. Alcohol chemically combines with wa-ter : the bulk of the resulting mixture is less than the mean ofthe two liquids before admixture; and much caloric is evolved.It is highly inflammable; and during its combustion, water andcarbonic acid are formed, the quantity of the water exceedingthat of the alcohol consumed. Alcohol boils at 176°, and as itsboiling point is higher the more water it contains, its strengthmay be known by the degree at which it boils ; allowing for theatmospheric pressure under which it is tried. It cannot befrozen by any known degree of cold. As a pharmaceuticalagent, alcohol, both in its pure and diluted state, is of theutmost importance.

Crell's Annals, 1796, ii. 211.