404 
Book II. 
Division II. 
Properties. 
SALTS. 
It may be prepared by the same process as the other 
acetites. 
It is too volatile to be easily crystallized : It may, 
however, by gentle evaporation, be made to deposite 
needle-shaped crystals. Mr de Lassone crystallized it 
by sublimation. When the sublimation is slow, 
forms long, slender, flatted crystals, terminating in 
sharp points, of a pearl-white colour, and about an inch 
and eight-tenths in length. 
It impresses the tongue at first with a sense of cold 
ness, and then of sweetness, which is followed by a taste 
resembling that of a mixture of sugar and nitre, in 
which the sweet does not predominate over the mawk 
ish taste of the nitre t. 
It is very deliquescent. It melts at 170°, and sub 
limes at about 250° f. 
When a watery solution of this salt is distilled, there 
comes over first a quantity of ammonia, next a quan 
tity of acetous acid, and at last of the neutral salt itself. 
No such decomposition takes place when the crystals 
are distilled by a moderate heat §. 
According to Wenzel, 240 parts of acetous acid re 
quire for saturation 244 of ammonia. This salt is of 
ten used in medicine as a sudorific. 
Sp. 7. Acetite of Magnesia. 
THIs salt may be formed by dissolving magnesia or 
its carbonat in acetous acid. 
It is not crystallizable ; but forms by evaporation a 
t Higgins On Acetous Acic, p. 188. 
* Mem. Par. i. 775. 
§ Ibid. 
Iid. 
t Higgins, Ibid. p. 192.