1000000030

lInio~,

anJ ch:tnge .the difpofilion, o( Ihe panicles

con–

llitutinC the oouy in \Vhich it is exeiteu, anu lOproduce

a new COOibinAlivo.

\Ve examine a fub[l,¡nce that has undergone pUl re–

{aaion, we (hall foo nperccive thal it contains • principie

which did OOt (xiII in it before.

Ihis rubllance be di,

nilled, Ihm rifes hrfl, by means o(

ve!

gende heat,

a (.,Iine mmer which is e<ceedingly volalile,

~nd

a!feéls

the organ o( fmelling brilkly and difagrecAoly. Nor is

the aid o( dillillatioo neceO,u

to di(cover tqe pre(ence of

this produa o( putrd.é1ion: it reaudy m,nirens itfelr in

moti (ubH, nccs where it «ins,' as lny one may foon be

convinced by ob(erving the different (!Udl o( (reOl andof

p\nrefied urine; (or the larter oot only alfetls Ihe noli:,

but evenm:tkes lhe eyes rmart, Rnd in ilates Ihem [o as

dr;\\v

Icars froln Ihem in abundance. .

This (,line principie, \Vhich is the prndua of pmre–

fallion, when (epar.ted from the tltlter principies of Ihe

hody whiclt aff"rds ir, aod colleacd by it(e1f, appears

tilher in Ihe farOl of a liquor, or in thJt o( a concrete

{;t1I, accordior, to Ihediffercnt methods u(ed tOobtlin it.

In Ihe (ormer Ilate it is ealled a

volarile .ríno"J [piríl ;

and in the lauer a

v,I"ile,¡r;1I011J ¡nlt.

The qllalifica–

tion o( urinous is given it, becall(e a greal deal thereof is

generated in pUlrefied urine, to ",hich it communicates

Its

fmell.

goes ¡JCo by Ihe general name of a·

v~/alíle

al,

1,Ií,

whether in a concrete or in a li'luid formo The

tnumeralion of its properties will (hewwhy ir is called

an alk,li.

Vol.tile alkalis, from whatever fubllance obrained, are

all alike, and have all rhe fame propertie!; dilferiDg on·

I¡ accorJing to tbeir degrees of puriry. Tite volAr,}e al–

kaU. as well as tite fixed, eQJlfi[h of a ctnaio quaotiry

of acid combineJ \Vith, and entangled by a portioa o( Ih..

earth of Ihe mixt bodyfrom \Vhich it was obtained; and

on rhat account it has many prorertie! like tboCe of afixed

dkali. BUI time is moréO"er in its compnfirion a eon–

fiderable qu.mity of a fal or oily maller, of \Vhich rhere

none in a fixed albli; and on litis account aCain there

is a grear d:ffmnce belween theln. Thus. tlte yolaliliry

of che alkali pmduced by pmref.é1ion, whieh is Ibe pria–

cip.1 diffmncc berween it and Ihe olher kind of albli,

wltofe aalure il is tO be fi.(ed, mull be attributcd to Ihe

portion of oil which

contains: for there is a certain

method o( volalilizing fixed alkaEs by mcans of a f.1I y

{ubnaoce.

Vol.llile alkalis hA"e a greal aflinity with acids, nnile

therclI'ilh "pidly, and \Vilh ebnllition, aad forOl \Vith

Ihen~

oeutr.,1 fahs, \Vhich !hoor into crynall, bUI difl'u froln

ooe

an~lher

accardiog to Ihe kind

01'

acid emplayed in the

comllin.ltion.

The neutral fahs whiclt Itave a volarilc alk.:t1i for their

Lafis are in generalcalled

ollllllMíoe.1

¡oIIJ.

Tltat whofe

acid is tite acid of fea·f, lt is called

¡al a/l/mM;ae.

tltis

lVal

thé firH known, it g:\l'e name ro all the rell.

Grm qnantilies of Ihis Calr are

m.de

E~ypl,

and

thencc bro,'ghl to uS. T hey Cllblime it from Ihe Coot of

COIV'S dung, which is Ihe fud of thlt couotry, and con–

tains fc,·f,lt, together witll a volatile a

!k.li

, or .t

Ic.lI

tllt

nmeri.ls

proper for forming it; and confc'luenuy all

the ingredieol! that enler into Ihe cO'm¡:ofilion of

[;¡j

amo

m\Jniac.

The neUtral falts formed by eombining Ihe acids of

nirre and

01'

vilriol with a yolatile alkali, are called, afier

their acids,

n;lro"J ¡ni MJIJ/oníae,

and

vilr;ol;e ¡ol om–

/l/oníae :

The I. lter, f,om Ihe n. me of its invenlor, is

alfo called Glanber's

¡re,,' fal 01l1111011;ne.

A volarilc

al~ali,

Ihen, has Ihe (ame property asa fixeJ

aJkali Wilh regard tO acids; yer they.dilfer in this. rha!

the alliniry of Ihe former wi,h acids is' \Veaker Ihan that

of the Iatlcr.: and hcnce it follo,"s, that any fal ammo–

niae maybe

decomp~unded

by alixed alkali, IVhich lVilt

lay hold of Ihe acid, and di(cltarge the volatile alkali .

A volalile alkali \ViII decompound any neutal (alt \Vhich

has nOI a fixcd alka!i for its b,fis; Ihat is, all fuch as

confill of an acid combined with an abforbeot earrh or a

Oler.llie f"b!l'ance. By joining \Vith Ihe acids in whieh

theyare dill'olvcd, it dilengagcs rhe carrhs or melallie

Cubllances, lakes Iheir pldCe, and, in coojunaion wito

their aciJs, Conns ammoniar fahs.

Hence it might be c9ncluded, that, of all (uhnances,

nexl tO Ihe phloginon and the hxeJ. alkalis, volal ile al.

kalis Ime t:le grcale[J atlinily wilh acids iD general. Yet

rhere is fome difli cuhy in Ihis

m.mr:

for abCorbent

earths and fe ve..l. Oletallic fubO.nces are alfo capable of

decompounding ammoni.cal falts, difcharging thtir 1'0-

latile alkali, and forming new compounds by uniling with

Iheir acids

This mighl induce us to rhink rhat Ihefe

fubf1ances

h.ve

nearly the fame allini ly with acids.

!lUI it is proper to opCerve, that a volatile

al~ali

de–

compounds fuch neutral fahs as have for their bafis ,ilher

an abrorbent earrh or a melallic fubllance, \Vitholl! the

aid of fire; \Vhereas abforbent earrhs or melallic fub–

nances will nOI decIJmpound an ammoniacal·falt, unltfs

they be amncd by a certain degree of heat

Now, as all thefe malrers are extremcly fixed, ar leall

in cOOlparifon \Vilh a I'olalile alkali, they h.lve the ad–

vantAge of being able

refilllhe forre of firc, and fo

aaing in conjunélion IhmlV!th; and fire gre,dy pro–

OlQtes the nalural allion of fubllances upon one anolher:

Vlhereas the yolatile alkali in the ammoniac.1falt, beioL

unable to .bide Ihe.force of lire, is compelled

deCerr

its acid; and th" (o much lhe more qnickly, as ils alli–

nily tlterewith is conf:derably. wc.kened by the prefence

of aD earrlty or mctallic fubaancc, both of which haye a

great allinil'y winl acid!.

TheCe confideralions 061ige us to conclude, thar volalile

alkalis have a fJmewhat grealer allinity, Ihan abforbent

earths and Itletallic (nbltances, \Vith acids.

Ammoniac.1 faltl projcaed upon nitre in fufioo make

d~ronale ;

and the nitror; fal anllnoniac detonms by

ilfd(, without the addilion of any inn.mmable mamr.

Tltis fingular e!fea evidendy demoo[!rate, the exillence

of an oily malltr in volalile alkalis ; for it is cemio Ihat

nilre \ViII O<\'er

deOanr.re

wilhout Ihe concurrence and

even the intmediate contaél of fome combnllible mallero

This oily [ublllnce is often found combincd witb 1'01,–

tile alkalis in fueh a large proportion as tn di(guife it in

fonle mearure, aod reoder it exceeding foul , The fal\

ruay be freed from its (uperfiuous oil by repeate<.1 fublimo·

UOl\$;