Volume 7

A general system of chemical knowledge; and its application to the phenomena of nature and art / By A.F. Fourcroy. Translated from the original French, by William Nicholson.

  • Fourcroy, Antoine-François de, comte, 1755-1809.
Date:
1804
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A general system of chemical knowledge; and its application to the phenomena of nature and art / By A.F. Fourcroy. Translated from the original French, by William Nicholson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    513/524 (page 501)
    VOLATILE OIL. , 501 water, of which we frequently find drops more or lefs perceptible at their fur face, when they are kept in velfels not properly clofed. Some of them eryftallize ; moft of them pafs into the refmous ftate, and then lofe the greateft part of their odour ; which manifeftly depends upon the joint effed of the lofs of a portion of their hidrogen, and the augmentation of their car- bon. 2b. They combine fenfibly and eafiiy with water. It is fufficient to agitate them in this liquid, in order to difiolve them. The fluid then contracts a ftrong fmell, and a flight acrid tafle ; it is in this manner that I prepare the fragrant aromatic waters, which are nothing more than folutions of volatile oil in water, prepared by the action of fire, and diftillation. 27* They difiolve phofphorous and fulphur. The fir ft of thefe folutions, which is luminous in the dark, is very fetid, and affords phofphorated hidrogen gas by the action of fire, the fécond, which is very much coloured, and known by the name of balfam of fulphur in pharmacy, a name to which that of the oil with which it is pre- pared is added, as terebinthinated., anifated, &c. affords much fulphurated hidrogen nas by the action of heat. They do not act upon the metals, nor do they combine with their ox- ides like the fixed oils. In general they are Ids difpofed than thefe to form oily ox- i ides, and when treated with oxiyenated mat- ter, whatever thefe matters may be, they tend rather 1