The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-12-11
Properties Of Good Vinegar.

II. Kratzer says the quality OF vinegar
may be detected by its taste, by its
color, and by its smell; for instance,
good vinegar must have sour taste,
which is not altered by free alcohol or
other foreign substances. As to the
color, it may be that of the water-clear
or of the wine-yellow vinegar, it must
always be perfectly pellucid, and when
rubbed between the fingers the odor
must be acid without having any SINH
larity to spoiled liquors; but before all.
vinegar, if brought to the lips, must not
produce either an itchiug or burning,
nor give to the teeth feeling of blunt
ness, for if this should be the case we
can be snre that the vinegar is adulter-
ated.
Authorizations are sometimes pro-
duced by the addition of mineral acids.
sometimes by vegetable matters. OF
the former, especially sulphuric acid,
muriatic acid, and sometimes even nitric
acid, are used; of the latter we men
ton cayenne pepper, bertram root, COM
mon pepper, etc. The method of dee
tecting these authorizations is the fol-
lowing:
If sulphuric acid is suspected of be-
ingpresent we should pour some of the
vinegar into a small test tube and add
some chlorate or acetate of barium; If
Dy the addition of this white color is
produced, or after time white pre-
cipitate is formed, then the vinegar has
been adulterated with sulphuric acid
If the vinegar only becomes slightly
turbid the reason may be accounted for
by the fact that the water which was
used for the fabrication of the vinegar
contained sulphate of lime. To be GER
tain that the vinegar contains free sui
phuric acid the following method should
be employed: A small portion of vine
gar is put into an evaporation dish and
there evaporated until it is con densed
to about one tenth of its weight; the
remainder is dissolved in alcohol, fl
tered and diluted with water, and finally
a solution of chlorate of barium is adj
ded. If now the vinegar shows turbid
white color the adulteration by sulphur
ic acid may be assumed with certainty.
Recently, for the detection of mineral
acids, new reagent has been devised,
which can be well recommended, viz
methyl -aniline-violent. A diluted solu-
ton of this substance does not change
color at all with pure vinegar, while if
the slightest quantity of mineral acids
is present it takes blue-green color.
If an adulteration of muriatic acid is
suspected, some drops of a solution of
nitrate of silver should be added to the
vinegar; if white, flaky precipitation
is formed, which is blackened by the
sunlight and cannot be dissolved after
an excess of nitric acid has been added
then the adulteration is proved.
To prove the presence of nitric acid
small quantity of potassium should be
mixed with the vinegar and after the
liquid has been evaporated the remain
der should be placed upon some glow
ing charcoal. If decrepitation takes
place the adulteration may be taken for
granted, otherwise the salt burns with
out noise and diffuses an odor similar
to that of burnt sugar
To detect the adulteration by sharp
vegetable matters the following method
may be employed:
A small quantity of the vinegar, hav-
ing the weight of $50 grains, is slowly
evaporated until some brown liquid re-
mains. If it was adulterated, this LIQUID
has sharp singing taste, while if this
is not the case it will have only an acid
taste.
A still more simple method is to moist
en- the upper lip with vinegar, the purity
of which is acknowledged, while the
under lip is moistened with the vinegar
which is to be examined and both are
permitted to dry. If the vinegar has
been adulterated in the manner men
toned disagreeable itching or singing
is felt on the under lip, while the upper
lip is not affected.
A third method for the purpose is, to
neutralize the vinegar by carbonate of
soda; the acid taste of the vinegar is
thus removed and the sharp taste of
spices remains.
If vinegar is kept in copper vessels it
is often dangerous to the health. In
order to discover whether this has been
the case sulphurated hydrogen is en-
ployed, if the vinegar first turns a
brown color, and if finally black pre-
cipitate is formed, the presence of cop
per is evident. Vinegar which has
been kept in zinc vessels gives white
precipitate and the presence of lead is
indicated by black precipitate.
If iron vessels have been used for the
preservation of vinegar the latter loses
its value for many industrial purposes.
The presence of iron can be detected by
the addition of ferrocyanide of potas-
SUM, which in this case produces blue
precipitate.
The man who missed his footing probably
had his boots stolen. -Boston Transcript