The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-06-19
TAg HISTORY OF eiYcrs,,-
IT. fgs~eoVcry and Infs.-dssfIon Ipt,,
Nanufu cfis-eS.

Its ibs=eoScry and iuff.-iasfion Int, 81,
Nanufucfis-aS.
Many years ago. in an ols,c.t.r. Min.
villagr. in Sweden. an aTbottec.rr,, -
making lead plaster ia t,tr ari,p..-
uav bv heating olive oil wiki E.b,r..
and water. sybcu ne th;nccd sgr.,..:
that the liquid which was Iuinar;,d oit
th.. f,n~tv lead c0fuDuint bad o. -t-....,
lv sweet taste. On iurthcr u.v..,i.,.
iiou- he found thai the sweet ia,t,- ,,,.
caused hy thc presence ~ an oi.v lis..i,
which wa~ dissolved IN IN. water =
sucfr sullstaneu ,ya> ds-~cril.d II, a..
books of the daK.
Sche,.le-that was tIIo sp1thsrarrs..
name-I1new that he had discovered
new substance. lie esapn found fb.-
this sweet liquid was not 10. pr,au.,
81 Olive oil alone. bUt Tat ,' .,.r ,s.
and fats would yield il urtier tnr ,..r.
treatment 80 hc named IL the 's.y,,,,
principle 81 fats or '-oil sugar"
More than a century ha- pss,~,,d .iu,.
Schecle'~ discovery. yet II = ~rs-..l,
fifty wears since ''uil sugar N.i~ flspt
10 DE- of practical value. rNr-pt f1r,
limited u~e in medicine Ghrmi.,.
have given IL the more formal uan.,f
glvcerine derived from Greek word
meaning sweet.
Every one l. to-day familiar with ,b.
clear. thick liquid - commonly used
for toilet purposes. lts soothing ana
-oltcning effect ON dry or inhancd skin
l. the quality forwhich IL j. hc-' l.ruyr,
in most households: hut few praple
have any idea Of the variety of purro>.,
to which il j. applied.
Among it, most striking and valuable
properties are its "rcat solvent power
ita chemical stability and it, swcrtn,s,
Moreover. IL j. digcstiblc, will not evan
orsitg and owing 20 this and IT, hy.-r,-
scopic qualities. will prevent the dry.
ing and hardening of material, With
which IL j. mixed.
| These peculiar qualities MAKE Il most
valuable in the preparation of incdi.
| cincS. unpuents and various food prod.
nets. ~ preserves and mustard: like.
wise in beer. wines and other bottled
| goods. where ii j. said 10 act as a urs.
| ,crvative. The fact that strong solu.
| tiuns of Fl cerinc and water viii not
| freeze in the lowest winter tcmpera.
lures has caused it, use in our wet 'gas
| meters.
Some Of the more important indus
| tries in which IL Is used are yulcauiziug
| india rubber. silvcring and gliding
glass. dressing leather for kid gloves.
preserving anatomical and botanical
| specimens and the manufacture Of
what j.. perhaps. the most powerful
| explosive known 10 science. wiih0u.
Whose aid some of the grandc>t 'riumphs
| of modern engineering would have been
| impossiblc-n -nitro-glyccrinc.
In pure state glycerine il onc-fourth
| heavier than water. After long cy-
| po,ure to freezing Temperature
! glyccrinc will deposit rhomhic crystals
resembling those az sugar candy Us
| boiling boint il 4g0 degrees Fahrenheit
Pure glyceriue viii burn readily
first heated 10 about 800 degrees. Il
gives "a palc-blnc flame similar 10 that
Of alcohol. and t. the chemist glycrrue
is an alcohol.
| 4 process has been invented by Whira
animal fats are directly dccompo,e5
into sJearic acid and glycerlne hy sub
| jecting the fat to the action Of super.
heated steam 1T "a tcmpcraturr - -cr-
eral hundred degrees. The resulting
! glyccrin" i concentrated and purified
by steam distillatfon. while tine 81 aar..
acid. which much resembles wax and
in no way answers to our ordinary cla.
ception Of an acid. j. in great demand
| for. ..s ndicS Youth y Companion.