I consider the preceding table, which I have extracted from the longer tables of M. Gay Lussac, as an important addition to the resources of British dealers and manufacturing chemists. With the aid of his little instrument, which may be got for a trifle from its ingenious maker, M. Collardeau, Rue Faubourg St. Martin, at Paris, or constructed by one of the London hydrometer artists, the per centage of real alcohol, and the real value of any spirituous liquor, may be determined to sufficient nicety for most purposes, in a far easier manner than by any instruments now used in this country. It has been adopted by the Swedish government, with M. Gay Lussac’s tables.M. Gay Lussac’s table gives, by inspection, the true bulk of the spirits as corrected for temperature; that is, their volume, if of the normal temperature of 15° Cent. (59° Fahr.). Now this is important information; for, if a person buys 1000 gallons of spirits in hot weather, and pays for them exactly according to their strength corrected for temperature, he will not have 1000 gallons when the weather is in its mean state. He may lose, in this way, several gallons without being aware of it from his hydrometer.Sometimes, after moist autumns, when damaged grain abounds, the alcohol distilled from its fermented wash contains a peculiar volatile body. When we apply our nose to this species of spirits in its hot state, the volatile substance dissolved in it irritates the eyes and nostrils: it has very nearly the same smell as an alcoholic solution of cyanogen, as any chemist may discover by standing near the discharge pipe of the refrigeratory worm of a raw-grain whisky still. Such spirits intoxicate more strongly than pure spirits of the same strength, and excite, in many persons, even temporary frenzy. It is a volatile fatty matter, of a very fetid odour, when obtained by itself, as I have procured it in cold weather at some of the great distilleries in Scotland. It does not combine with bases. At the end of a few months, it spontaneously decomposes in the spirits, and leaves them in a less nauseous and noxious state. By largely diluting the spirits with water, and distilling at a moderate temperature, the greater part of this oil may be separated. Part of it comes over with the strongest alcohol, and part with the latter runnings, which are called by the distillers strong and weak feints. The intermediate portion is purer spirit. The feints are always more or less opalescent, or become so on dilution with water, and then throw up an oily pellicle upon their surface. The charcoals of light wood, such as pine or willow, well calcined, and infused in sufficient quantity with the spirits prior to rectification, will deprive them of the greater part of that oily contamination. Animal charcoal, well calcined, has also been found useful; but it must be macerated for some time with the empyreumatic spirits, before distillation. Another mode of separating that offensive oil is, to agitate the impure spirits with a quantity of a fat oil, such as olive oil, or oil of almonds, to decant off the oil, and re-distil the spirits with a little water.Some foreign chemists direct empyreumatic or rank spirits, to be rectified with the addition of chloride of lime. I have tried this method in every way, and on a considerable scale, but never found the spirits to be improved by it. They were rather deteriorated. SeeBrandy,Distillation,Fermentation,Gin,Rum,Whisky.Anhydrous or absolute alcohol, when swallowed, acts as a mortal poison, not only by its peculiar stimulus on the nervous system, but by its abstracting the aqueous particles from the soft tissue of the stomach, with which it comes in contact, so as to destroy its organisation. Alcohol of 0·812 consists, by experiments, of 3 atoms of carbon, 6 of hydrogen, and 2 of oxygen; absolute alcohol consists, probably, of 2 of carbon, 3 of hydrogen, and 1 of oxygen.
I consider the preceding table, which I have extracted from the longer tables of M. Gay Lussac, as an important addition to the resources of British dealers and manufacturing chemists. With the aid of his little instrument, which may be got for a trifle from its ingenious maker, M. Collardeau, Rue Faubourg St. Martin, at Paris, or constructed by one of the London hydrometer artists, the per centage of real alcohol, and the real value of any spirituous liquor, may be determined to sufficient nicety for most purposes, in a far easier manner than by any instruments now used in this country. It has been adopted by the Swedish government, with M. Gay Lussac’s tables.
M. Gay Lussac’s table gives, by inspection, the true bulk of the spirits as corrected for temperature; that is, their volume, if of the normal temperature of 15° Cent. (59° Fahr.). Now this is important information; for, if a person buys 1000 gallons of spirits in hot weather, and pays for them exactly according to their strength corrected for temperature, he will not have 1000 gallons when the weather is in its mean state. He may lose, in this way, several gallons without being aware of it from his hydrometer.
Sometimes, after moist autumns, when damaged grain abounds, the alcohol distilled from its fermented wash contains a peculiar volatile body. When we apply our nose to this species of spirits in its hot state, the volatile substance dissolved in it irritates the eyes and nostrils: it has very nearly the same smell as an alcoholic solution of cyanogen, as any chemist may discover by standing near the discharge pipe of the refrigeratory worm of a raw-grain whisky still. Such spirits intoxicate more strongly than pure spirits of the same strength, and excite, in many persons, even temporary frenzy. It is a volatile fatty matter, of a very fetid odour, when obtained by itself, as I have procured it in cold weather at some of the great distilleries in Scotland. It does not combine with bases. At the end of a few months, it spontaneously decomposes in the spirits, and leaves them in a less nauseous and noxious state. By largely diluting the spirits with water, and distilling at a moderate temperature, the greater part of this oil may be separated. Part of it comes over with the strongest alcohol, and part with the latter runnings, which are called by the distillers strong and weak feints. The intermediate portion is purer spirit. The feints are always more or less opalescent, or become so on dilution with water, and then throw up an oily pellicle upon their surface. The charcoals of light wood, such as pine or willow, well calcined, and infused in sufficient quantity with the spirits prior to rectification, will deprive them of the greater part of that oily contamination. Animal charcoal, well calcined, has also been found useful; but it must be macerated for some time with the empyreumatic spirits, before distillation. Another mode of separating that offensive oil is, to agitate the impure spirits with a quantity of a fat oil, such as olive oil, or oil of almonds, to decant off the oil, and re-distil the spirits with a little water.
Some foreign chemists direct empyreumatic or rank spirits, to be rectified with the addition of chloride of lime. I have tried this method in every way, and on a considerable scale, but never found the spirits to be improved by it. They were rather deteriorated. SeeBrandy,Distillation,Fermentation,Gin,Rum,Whisky.
Anhydrous or absolute alcohol, when swallowed, acts as a mortal poison, not only by its peculiar stimulus on the nervous system, but by its abstracting the aqueous particles from the soft tissue of the stomach, with which it comes in contact, so as to destroy its organisation. Alcohol of 0·812 consists, by experiments, of 3 atoms of carbon, 6 of hydrogen, and 2 of oxygen; absolute alcohol consists, probably, of 2 of carbon, 3 of hydrogen, and 1 of oxygen.