203 / 1042
e
H
E
M
O[ tbe Vottttite Atkati.
VDlatil. Alkalil -rr{/ifttá ani
d~¡Jl/r.,ed.
M
IX
togc:her the Cplfit, the volatileCalt, the phlegm,
and theoiJ, obtaincd fromaoy Cubilanee whatever. Put
thc whole io<o a IHge wide·mouthed glaCs body, aod
th:reto fit a head with a large beak. Set this alembie
in a water·bath, lute00 a reeeiver, ¡od dillil ",ith
R
very
gende heat. There \ViII aCeend a fpirit lIrongly impreg.
nmd witH volatile alkali, and a. volatilc Calr io a concrete
form, \Vhich mu(\ be kcpt byitCelf. Theo ,ncreaCe your
heat to the degree of boiling water.; \Vhereupon there
w.ill riCe
a: C~cond
volatile Cpirit, Comewhat more ponder..
ous than the former, \Vith a light
oí
1.
that will fwim on
its Curf.lce, and a linle concrete volatile Calt. Proceeo
till nothíng more will riCe with this degree of hm. Keep
by itCelf wbat came over ioto the receiver. At the boto
tomof'tbe cucurbit you will find
a;
thick (etid oil.
Into Cuch another dillilliog ve{fel pUt tbe fpirit andCalt
Ihat
roCe
firll in this dillillatíon, and dinil Ihem in the
hRlwI1n mari"
wirh a hejlt {Iill gender than before. A
\Vhiter. purer, voJarile Calt will fubl ime. Continue the
dilldi..tion till ao aqueoas moillure riCe, \Vhich \ViII begio
10
olirolve the Calt. At the bonomof the ve{fe! \ViII be
leCr
~
pblegm, with a linle oil floating on it. Keep your
fal t
lIT
a botde well lIopped.
V.latile AIAaliJ eomhil/d 'Wilh AeidJ. S¡¡ndrJ. A/IInto·
ñiaearS·al/J. Sal AI/lm.niac.
O~
a volati'e Cpínt or (alt pour gradually any acid
\Vhatever. An effervefcen ce will arire. and be more or
leCs violeot aecording to the nature of the aeid. Co on
a~ding
more acid
in.th~
Carnemanner, lill noeffervefceoce
bt-Ihereby excited,_
ar
at leall till it bevery fmall. The
liquor will nowcomaina femi·volatile oeutral Calt, ealled
an
nl/JlIIDniaenl
foh
j
\Vhich may ·be obtained in a dry
(orm by cryllallifiog as ufual, or by fubliming it in clore
verrds¡
aft~r
the fuperAuous moifiurehath been dralVnoff.
Volatil6 alkalis hare the famepropenies with fixed al·
blis, fixity only excepted :
Co
that a volatile alkali mull
produce ao efferv&ence when mixed. witb acids, and
(orm therewith neutral fahs, diffenng from eacb other
in· nothiog but the nature of tho acid in their compo·
fition.
lt-mull beobCervcd, tbat the poiot of fuuratioo is very
di!licul!
to
hit on this oceafioo
j
owing probably
10
the
volatility o( the alkalí, lOhich, being moch lighter than
Iheacid, tends always to porreCs the uppermoll pan of the
mixmre, while the acio finks
10
the bonom : lOhenCe it
c~mes
to pafs. thal the 10lOer part of the liquor is Come·
timesovercharged with acid, while the upper pan is {Iill
very alkaline. But it is mnr! eligible that lhe 21kali
fhould predr,miom io the mixture; bceaufe the exceCs
oí !his principie eafily Aies off \Vhile the moillure is eva·
poratiog in order tO the cryllallíration or Cublimation of
the ammoniacal Calt
j
whieh being
only
Cemi·volatile, re·
fiíts the heat looger, anu.remains perfeélly neutral.
If the vitriolie acid be eombined wilh a volatile alkali,
and !he mixture dillilled in a reton to draw off the (u.
s
T
R
Y.
parfluoul moillure, a liquor comes over into Ihe
ree~iofe
r
which fmells flron
ó
of a fulphureous acid. Now, as the
acid of vitriol oever becomes fulphu reous, but when it is
eombined with ao inOammabl. maner, this expcriment
is one of thoCe whicb domonllrate th)t yolatile alk.lis
conlalo a very [enlible quantity of iuOallÍm.ble mmer.
This fame liquor talles of an ammooiacal Cah ; which
proves that it carries up with it fome of the neutral fale
comained in the mixture. The rell of this falt, which
is,called
Clal/qu'J foe" l
¡;,¡
ammoniac,
or
_itri.Jiefa/
alllm,niae,
fublimes into· the oeck of the retor!.
It
is
very pungent on the tongue
j
it crackles
á
linle wbeo
throlOo on a red· hOl fllOvel,. and then Aies off io vapours.
The ammoniacal falt formed by the acid of nitre ex·
hibits much the fame pheoomena; but it requires greater
care in drying
~nd
fublimiog it, becaufe it hath the pro·
peny of detonatiog all alone, without the additión of any
other inflammable matter : and it will irifallibly do fo, if
too IIrong a 6re be applied towards theead of the opera·
tion, when it begins to be
v~ry
dry. This property of
detonating by itCelf it rlerives from the inAammable mat·
ler contained intbe volatile.:kali whieh Cerves for its bao
fis: and this is aaother demoollrative proof of Ihe exill–
ence of Cucb an inflammable maner in the volatile alkali.
This falt is called
nilrotll alllm,,,iaeal fnll.
With Ihe vegetable arias. that of vinegar for inllanee,
is formed an ammoniacal Cah of a fi ngular nature, aod
whichcan fcarce be brought tO a dry formo
A volatile alkali, coolbined to the poiot of fatumion
\Vith the acid of fea·Calt, forms anotner oeutral falt,
which takes a concrete form either by fublimationor ery·
f1alliCation. The cryllals of this f. lt are fo very foft
and fine, that a parce! of it 100Rs like cottoo or wool.
This i$ the falt properly ealled
fa l a/hmMioe.
lt
is of
great ufe in ehemillry and in manufaélures , bat Ihat
which is daily eooCumeo
in
great quaotities is DOt made
in the maoner above mentioned.
It
would come ello
uemely dear, if we bad 00 other
,uy
of procuriog it,
bm by. forming it thus with the acid
oF
(ea·Cal! and a vó·
latile alkali. This fa lt, or at leall the materials of which
il is fonned, may be found iD the fuliginofities and COOts
of moll animal. and of fome vegetable fubllaoccs. The
greatell par! of what \Ve uCe eOrlles from Egypt, where
vall quantities Ihereof are made.
Themethod of preparing fal ammoniac in Egypt wa
oot koown among us till Me{f. Lemaire ano Granger.
Their memoirs inform us, that chimney.Coot alone, with·
out any additamem, is the marter from\Vhich they ob–
taio their fal ammoniac
j
that thofe ehimneys under
\Vhich oothiog is burot but cow's.dung, fornifh the bdl
foo!. Six and t\Venty pouods of that
Coot
yield uCually
fix poundsof Cal ammoniae.
" The operation tahs up about fifty, or t\Vo and 6(ty
hours. Thc ve(fels in which they put the foot are bal·
lons
0(.
very thin glaCs, terminatíng in a oeck of fifteeo
or fixtcen lines long. and ao ioch io diameter : but they
are not al! of the Came fize. The leall eontaio twel.e
pounds of Coot, and the greatell fifty
j
but they fill thero
only three qUarlers full, in order tO leave room for the
(oblimation,of the Calt.
" Tite furnace, in which tbey place thefe ballons,
confills