The Vitriolic Acid when combined with an earthy basis adheres strongly thereto; so that the force of fire is able to expel very little or none of it. There is no way of separating it from such a basis, but by presenting to it an Alkaline Salt, with which it will unite: nor is it ever extracted from such matters when it is required pure. It does not adhere so firmly to metallic substances; but is separated from them by the force of fire: so that it may be obtained from the several sorts of Vitriol. It is usually drawn from Green Vitriol; that being the commonest sort. As to Sulphur, the Phlogiston which is its basis being the substance wherewith the Vitriolic Acid hath the greatest affinity, it would be altogether impossible to decompose it, and to separate its Acid, if it were not inflammable; but by burning it the Phlogiston is destroyed, and leaves the Acid at liberty. By this means therefore it may be separated. We shall now give the processes for extracting the Acid from Vitriol and Sulphur. PROCESS IV. _To extract the Vitriolic Acid from Green Vitriol._ Take any quantity of Green Vitriol: put it in an unglazed earthen vessel, and heat it gradually. Vapours will soon begin to rise. Increase the fire a little, and it will liquefy by means of the water contained in it, and acquire what we called an _aqueous_ fluor. Continue the calcination, and it will become less and less fluid, grow thick, and turn of a greyish colour. Now raise your fire, and keep it up till the salt recover its solidity, acquire an orange colour, and begin to grow red where it immediately touches the sides of the vessel. Then take it out, and reduce it to powder. Put the Vitriol thus calcined and pulverized into a good earthen retort, of which one half at least must remain empty. Set the retort in a reverberatory furnace: fit thereto a large glass receiver, and, having luted the joint well, give fire by degrees. You will soon see white clouds rise into the receiver, which will render it opaque, and heat it. Continue the same degree of fire till these clouds disappear: they will be succeeded by a liquor which will trickle down the sides of the receiver in veins. Still keep up the fire to the same degree as long as these veins appear. When they begin to abate, increase the fire, and push it to the utmost extremity: upon this, there will come over a black, thick liquor: it will even be found congealed, and prove the icy Oil of Vitriol, if care hath been taken to change the receiver, keep the vessels perfectly close, and give a sufficient degree of heat. Proceed thus till nothing more comes over, or at least very little. Let the vessels cool, unlute them, pour the contents of the receiver into a bottle, and seal it hermetically. _OBSERVATIONS._